The Lisbon Council - think tank for the 21st centuryThe Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal is a think tank and policy network committed to defining and articulating a mature strategy for managing current and future challenges.https://lisboncouncil.net/press-room.html
Sun, 07 Jun 2020 05:04:57 +0000Karakas CMS powered by Joomla! 1.5en-gbFuture of Work: How Better Family Policy and Access to Lifetime Learning Will Drive Tomorrow’s Social Outcomeshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/826.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/826.html

Leading experts, top policymakers, researchers and digital aficionados joined a high-level roundtable on The Future of Work: How Better Family Policy and Access to Lifetime Learning Will Drive Europe’s Development, hosted by the Future of Work Laboratory, a Lisbon Council centre of excellence.

To kick off the discussion, Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, introduced The 2019 Future of Work Index: How the World of Work is Changing and How Policy Needs to Change Along with It, a new Lisbon Council policy brief that deeply examines how the workplace is changing and the way social policy needs to evolve along with it. The policy brief includes the Future of Work Policy Bank at http://policybank.eu/, which tracks reform efforts in EU member states in the domains of social protection, accessible labour markets and entrepreneurship.

Later, Prof Sir Peter Gluckman, former chief science adviser to the prime minister of New Zealand, and Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills and special adviser to the secretary-general on education at the OECD, led a high-powered discussion on education in the early years – and after the end of formal education. The 2019 Future of Work Index will set the stage for a series of workshops planned for 2020 at the Lisbon Council.

Download The 2019 Future of Work Index

Download Peter Gluckman Presentation on Early Childhood Education

Download Andreas Schleicher Presentation on Life-Long Learning

Visit the Policy Bank

Leading experts, top policymakers, researchers and digital aficionados joined a high-level roundtable on The Future of Work: How Better Family Policy and Access to Lifetime Learning Will Drive Europe’s Development, hosted by the Future of Work Laboratory, a Lisbon Council centre of excellence.

To kick off the discussion, Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, introduced The 2019 Future of Work Index: How the World of Work is Changing and How Policy Needs to Change Along with It, a new Lisbon Council policy brief that deeply examines how the workplace is changing and the way social policy needs to evolve along with it. The policy brief includes the Future of Work Policy Bank at http://policybank.eu/, which tracks reform efforts in EU member states in the domains of social protection, accessible labour markets and entrepreneurship.

Later, Prof Sir Peter Gluckman, former chief science adviser to the prime minister of New Zealand, and Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills and special adviser to the secretary-general on education at the OECD, led a high-powered discussion on education in the early years – and after the end of formal education. The 2019 Future of Work Index will set the stage for a series of workshops planned for 2020 at the Lisbon Council.

Together with Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), the Washington DC-based think tank, The Lisbon Council convened for The 2019 Transatlantic Summit on Competition in the Digital Age, a high-level conference under the theme “facing the digital challenge together.” Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at PPI, presented the key findings of Competition and Concentration: How the Tech/Telecom/eCommerce Sector is Outperforming the Rest of the Private Sector, his latest policy brief, which outlines the unique performance of the technology sector in the modern world – and the challenge of regulating it. Aleksandra Boutin, founding partner of Positive Competition; Adina Claici, director of Copenhagen Economics; Fabien Curto Millet, director of economics at Google; Kai-Uwe Kühn, professor of economics and deputy director of the centre for competition policy at the University of East Anglia; and Nicolas Petit, professor of school of law at the University of Liège and co-director of the Brussels School of Competition, led an all-star cast of top economists and regulators for a wide-ranging discussion on the unique challenges that the digital economy poses. The debate and conclusions will feed directly into the European Commission Shaping Competition Policy in the Era of Digitisation, chaired by Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager.

For more on the European Commission Conference on Shaping Competition Policy in the Era Digitisation, visit http://ec.europa.eu/competition/scp19/index_en.html

Watch The 2019 Transatlantic Summit on Competition in the Digital Era in full on Lisbon Council TV

Download Michael Mandel Presentation

Download Nicolas Petit Presentation

Download Competition and Concentration: How the Tech/Telecom/eCommerce Sector is Outperforming the Rest of the Private Sector

Together with Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), the Washington DC-based think tank, The Lisbon Council convened for The 2019 Transatlantic Summit onCompetition in the Digital Age, a high-level conference under the theme “facing the digital challenge together.” Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at PPI, presented the key findings of Competition and Concentration: How the Tech/Telecom/eCommerce Sector is Outperforming the Rest of the Private Sector, his latest policy brief, which outlines the unique performance of the technology sector in the modern world – and the challenge of regulating it. Aleksandra Boutin, founding partner of Positive Competition; Adina Claici, director of Copenhagen Economics; Fabien Curto Millet, director of economics at Google; Kai-Uwe Kühn, professor of economics and deputy director of the centre for competition policy at the University of East Anglia; and Nicolas Petit, professor of school of law at the University of Liège and co-director of the Brussels School of Competition, led an all-star cast of top economists and regulators for a wide-ranging discussion on the unique challenges that the digital economy poses. The debate and conclusions will feed directly into the European Commission Shaping Competition Policy in the Era of Digitisation, chaired by Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager.

As the European Commission prepares a new round of Internet and platforms regulation, the Lisbon Council convened a high-level group of leading experts to the High-Level Working Lunch on Design Principles in Intermediary Liability Laws. Daphne Keller, director of intermediary liability at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, led an all-star discussion on Design Principles for Intermediary Liability Laws, her seminal article (written with Joris van Hoboken) on making intermediary liability law fit for the robust challenges of the 21st century’s third decade. Prabhat Agarwal, deputy head of unit, e-commerce and platforms, communications network, content and technology directorate-general, European Commission; Brando Benifei, member of the committee on the internal market and consumer protection, European Parliament (Italy-S&D), Martin Husovec, assistant professor, Tilburg Law School; Owen Bennett, EU Internet policy manager, Mozilla; Daniel Braun, deputy head of cabinet for Vice-President Vera Jourova, European Commission; Ricardo Castanheira, counsellor, telecom, information society, audiovisual and copyright, permanent representation of Portugal to the European Union; Christian D’Cunha, head of private office, European Data Protection Supervisor; Miriam Estrin, global information policy, Google; Joris Van Hoboken, professor of law at Vrije Universiteit Brussels and senior researcher at the University of Amsterdam’s Institute for Information Law, and Jens-Henrik Jeppesen, director, European affairs, Center for Democracy and Technology, joined the discussion.

The working lunch will feed directly into the ongoing debate on a new Digital Services Act, which the European Commission has promised to propose in 2020. As a first step, the Lisbon Council launched the Intermediary Liability Evidence Hub, an experiment in crowdsourcing robust evidence for the important discussion still to come.

Visit htttp://evidencehub.net

Download Daphne Keller Article

As the European Commission prepares a new round of Internet and platforms regulation, the Lisbon Council convened a high-level group of leading experts to the High-Level Working Lunch on Design Principles in Intermediary Liability Laws. Daphne Keller, director of intermediary liability at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, led an all-star discussion on Design Principles for Intermediary Liability Laws, her seminal article (written with Joris van Hoboken) on making intermediary liability law fit for the robust challenges of the 21st century’s third decade. Prabhat Agarwal, deputy head of unit, e-commerce and platforms, communications network, content and technology directorate-general, European Commission; Brando Benifei, member of the committee on the internal market and consumer protection, European Parliament (Italy-S&D), Martin Husovec, assistant professor, Tilburg Law School; Owen Bennett, EU Internet policy manager, Mozilla; Daniel Braun, deputy head of cabinet for Vice-President Vera Jourova, European Commission; Ricardo Castanheira, counsellor, telecom, information society, audiovisual and copyright, permanent representation of Portugal to the European Union; Christian D’Cunha, head of private office, European Data Protection Supervisor; Miriam Estrin, global information policy, Google; Joris van Hoboken, professor of law at Vrije Universiteit Brussels and senior researcher at the University of Amsterdam’s Institute for Information Law, and Jens-Henrik Jeppesen, director, European affairs, Center for Democracy and Technology, joined the discussion.

The working lunch will feed directly into the ongoing debate on a new Digital Services Act, which the European Commission has promised to propose in 2020. As a first step, the Lisbon Council launched the Intermediary Liability Evidence Hub, an experiment in crowdsourcing robust evidence for the important discussion still to come.

]]>News & EventsMon, 16 Dec 2019 14:36:20 +0000Tax and Revenue Agencies: The Future of Workhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/811.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/811.htmlThe European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on the Future of Work in Tax and Revenue Agencies under the theme of How the Fourth Industrial Revolution Will Transform the Revenue Agency Workforce. The day-long summit brought together a powerful group of high-level civil servants and government executives from, inter alia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, Spain and Sweden. Stephen Quest, director-general for taxation and customs at the European Commission, led an inspiring breakout session on the managerial challenges – and service-level opportunities – that new technologies bring to revenue agencies in Europe and the initiatives spearheaded by the European Commission to help civil servants deliver faster and better. Later, Evelyn Khoo, assistant commissioner at Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), presented the LEA:D initiative which redefines experience for taxpayers and staff. Yannick Girault, director of Cap Numérique at the directorate-general for public finance (DGFiP) in the ministry of economy and finance of France, shared the journey of the French tax administration in fighting technology obsolescence of its information- and communications-technology systems in the context of budget cuts. Stefanie Brack, specialist in the department of automation in revenue processing at the ministry of finance of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany); Javier Campillo, customs attaché at the permanent representation of Spain to the European Union (EU); Jens Daugaard, senior vice-president for data analytics at the Danish tax agency (Denmark); Francisco Fernández, tax attaché at the permanent representation of Spain to the EU; Michel van Hoegaerden, head of programme for strategic coordination and communication in the president office of the federal public service finance (Belgium); Johan Lindqvist, financial counsellor at the permanent representation of Sweden to the EU; Fredrik Löfstedt, minister counsellor for taxation at the permanent representation of Sweden to the EU; Elo Madiste, counsellor for taxation at the permanent representation of Estonia to the EU; Clare Omelia, head of resourcing and employee relations in the office of the revenue commissioners (Ireland); and Paulo Santos, director for digital delivery of customs and taxation policies at the European Commission’s directorate-general for taxation and customs, also joined the debate, bringing valuable experience from various European tax administrations. The high-level roundtable was convened by the European Centre for Government Transformation, a 10-year, tri-partite collaboration by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

]]>News & EventsTue, 02 Jul 2019 12:23:35 +0000UN Broadband Commission: Digital Entrepreneurshiphttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/784.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/784.htmlIn 2015, 193 United Nations members agreed 17 global goals for “transforming the world” by 2030. But how do we get there? And what are the first steps? Part of the answer is digital entrepreneurship, an area where the developing world faces both an unprecedented challenge and a unique opportunity. Those are the key themes of Working Group Report: Digital Entrepreneurship, a new study produced for the United Nations Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. The working group was led by Andrus Ansip, vice-president of the European Commission, commissioner on the UN Broadband Commission and chair of the Working Group on Digital Entrepreneurship. In collaboration with the European Commission and the International Telecommunication Union, the Lisbon Council served as project secretariat, leading a six-month long reflection with the 31-member working group and supplementing those discussions with additional interviews, research and input. The report analyses the emerging framework for digital entrepreneurship in the development context and proposes a nine-point action plan with ambitious targets for all stakeholders – including regulators, legislators, educators and entrepreneurs themselves.

Vice-President Ansip formally launched Working Group Report: Digital Entrepreneurship at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A few weeks ahead of the release of a comprehensive “risk assessment” being prepared by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the Lisbon Council convened The 2019 Digital Resilience Summit under the timely theme How Secure Networks and Strong Enforcement Will Help Deliver Security in Europe. Julian King, commissioner for the security union, delivered The 2019 Robert Schuman Lecture, a fascinating speech where he highlighted the importance of protecting the cyber landscape and developing stable and secure digital eco-systems, particularly as fifth-generation telecommunications technology (5G) and the Internet of Things (IoT) morph into Europe’s digital age nervous system. Kadri Kaska, cyber security policy and law researcher at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), and Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, joined the high-level debate. The discussion will feed directly into the European Union’s ongoing consultation on cybersecurity, which includes the forthcoming ENISA findings and a “mitigating measures tool box” that the European Commission will propose on the basis of that report.

A few weeks ahead of the release of a comprehensive “risk assessment” being prepared by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the Lisbon Council convened The 2019 Digital Resilience Summit under the timely theme How Secure Networks and Strong Enforcement Will Help Deliver Security in Europe. Julian King, commissioner for the security union, delivered The 2019 Robert Schuman Lecture, a fascinating speech where he highlighted the importance of protecting the cyber landscape and developing stable and secure digital eco-systems, particularly as fifth-generation telecommunications technology (5G) and the Internet of Things (IoT) morph into Europe’s digital age nervous system. Kadri Kaska, cyber security policy and law researcher at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), and Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, joined the high-level debate. The discussion will feed directly into the European Union’s ongoing consultation on cybersecurity, which includes the forthcoming ENISA findings and a “mitigating measures tool box” that the European Commission will propose on the basis of that report.

]]>News & EventsThu, 26 Sep 2019 16:45:10 +0000‘Co-Creation’ and ‘Design Thinking:’ The Next Frontierhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/810.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/810.html“Co-creation” and “design-thinking” has captured the imagination of many, but public administrations around Europe sometimes struggle to turn it from a trendy idea into a reality for their citizens. Against this backdrop, the Lisbon Council brought together leading experts, top civil servants think tankers, and policymakers to convene High-Level Summit on ‘Co-Creation’ and ‘Design Thinking.’ The discussion and debate were informed by Co-Creation of Public Services: Why and How, a new policy brief that lays out a ten-step roadmap for delivering user-centric digital government, arguing that it is time to put co-creation at the core of government functioning. Mike Bracken, senior fellow for digital government at the Lisbon Council, and founding director of the Government Digital Service in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom, delivered The 2019 Jean Monnet Lecture, reflecting on his 15 years of leadership in building public services of the future. Francesco Mureddu, associate director of the Lisbon Council, presented Co-Creation of Public Services: Why and How, and discussed how citizens can co-create public services and why this is important for Europe. Gertrud Ingestad, director-general for informatics at the European Commission, discussed the potential of co-creation to deliver better services to more people. Amalia Zepou,vice-mayor for civil society and innovation of Athens, Greece; and Paola Pisano, deputy-mayor for innovation, smart city, demographic and statistical services and information systems in Turin, Italy, showcased real-life examples of co-creation at the local level. The summit was convened by the Understanding Value Co-Creation in Public Services for Transforming European Public Administrations project, or Co-VAL, a 12-partner research consortium, co-funded by the European Union. The Co-VAL project will map out the power and scope of co-creation around Europe and the world in order to build roadmaps and actionable policy recommendations for putting citizens at the heart of government and transforming public administrations.

Top economists, leading regulators, euro aficionados and European media leaders convened for The 2018 Euro Summit: Why Quality Public Finance is Key to Prosperity – and How Governments Can Deliver It, a high-level conference hosted by the Lisbon Council in Brussels. To kick things off, Laurence Boone, chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, launched Public Finance Structure and Inclusive Growth, a new OECD policy brief which shows how growth-friendly tax reform can promote efficient and inclusive growth. Marco Buti, director-general for economic and financial affairs at the European Commission, delivered The 2018 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, providing a stunning tour d’horizon regarding Europe’s next moves on the economic front and detailing the way that sound public finance can deliver growth, promote innovation and create jobs. Niels Christoffer Thygesen, professor at University of Copenhagen, discussed the work of the European Fiscal Board, which he chairs, and the challenge of fiscal sustainability ahead. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council, chaired the session.

Top economists, leading regulators, euro aficionados and European media leaders convened for The 2018 Euro Summit: Why Quality Public Finance is Key to Prosperity – and How Governments Can Deliver It, a high-level conference hosted by the Lisbon Council in Brussels. To kick things off, Laurence Boone, chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, launched Public Finance Structure and Inclusive Growth, a new OECD policy brief which shows how growth-friendly tax reform can promote efficient and inclusive growth. Marco Buti, director-general for economic and financial affairs at the European Commission, delivered The 2018 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, providing a stunning tour d’horizon regarding Europe’s next moves on the economic front and detailing the way that sound public finance can deliver growth, promote innovation and create jobs. Niels Christoffer Thygesen, professor at University of Copenhagen, discussed the work of the European Fiscal Board, which he chairs, and the challenge of fiscal sustainability ahead. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council, chaired the session.

The ethics of artificial intelligence – and the crucial question of whether data-trained algorithms can deliver fair outcomes or simply perpetuate existing human bias – is a key policymaking challenge. As regulators around the world grapple with the right formula for seizing the benefits of AI and machine learning, the Lisbon Council brought together a high-level group of policymakers, software engineers and researchers for a wide-randing discussion on Ethics in Machine Learning: Beyond Rhetoric, Towards Reality.

Eve Andersson, director of Google AI, kicked off the discussion with an overview of Google’s latest research on ensuring AI fairness, including an effort to mobilise AI to improve Internet accessibility for the disabled. Alessandro Annoni, head of unit for digital economy at the Joint Research Centre; Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council; Bjoern Juretzki, policy assistant to the director-general of DG communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission; Stephanie Lepczynski, senior director at the Lisbon Council; Klaudia Majcher, digital policy analyst at the European Political Strategy Centre; Charles Manoury, policy assistant to the cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip;ion; David Osimo, director of research at the Lisbon Council; Keith Sequeira, senior adviser in the cabinet of European Commissioner Carlos Moedas; and Chiara Tomasi, senior public policy and government relations analyst at Google, joined the wide-ranging exchange.

The ethics of artificial intelligence – and the crucial question of whether data-trained algorithms can deliver fair outcomes or simply perpetuate existing human bias – is a key policymaking challenge. As regulators around the world grapple with the right formula for seizing the benefits of AI and machine learning, the Lisbon Council brought together a high-level group of policymakers, software engineers and researchers for a wide-randing discussion on Ethics in Machine Learning: Beyond Rhetoric, Towards Reality.

Eve Andersson, director of Google AI, kicked off the discussion with an overview of Google’s latest research on ensuring AI fairness, including an effort to mobilise AI to improve Internet accessibility for the disabled. Alessandro Annoni, head of unit for digital economy at the Joint Research Centre; Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council; Bjoern Juretzki, policy assistant to the director-general of DG communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission; Stéphanie Lepczynski, senior director at the Lisbon Council; Klaudia Majcher, digital policy analyst at the European Political Strategy Centre; Charles Manoury, policy assistant to the cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip; David Osimo, director of research at the Lisbon Council; Keith Sequeira, senior adviser in the cabinet of European Commissioner Carlos Moedas; and Chiara Tomasi, senior public policy and government relations analyst at Google, joined the wide-ranging exchange.

The discussion is the latest in a series of high-level talks, hosted by the Lisbon Council, to look at the ethical and political challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The discussions help to orient the association’s research agenda on artificial intelligence, which is ongoing.

]]>News & EventsMon, 06 May 2019 06:44:05 +0000Digital Government: Next Stepshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/766.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/766.htmlThe Lisbon Council launches How Local Government Reform is Key to Europe’s Digital Success: A Six-Point Programme for eGovernment Renewal, a six-step programme for improving public-service delivery throughout Europe. Building on the success of the recent Tallinn Declaration – signed by 32 European Union and European Free Trade Association member states – Director of Research David Osimo takes a fresh look at the key challenge of digital government in an age of proliferating action plans and heightened political commitment. Why is Europe – with no less than three flagship programmes for improving the quality of online public services and strengthening citizen-state relations – still a place of uneven progress? What have previous programmes missed that could help make future programmes a success? The interactive policy brief was launched in the margins of the opening plenary of Milano Digital Week, Italy’s flagship festival for "innovation, design, and transformation through digital."

Today, the Lisbon Council launches How Local Government Reform is Key to Europe’s Digital Success: A Six-Point Programme for eGovernment Renewal, an incisive policy brief that proposes a six-step programme for improving public-service delivery throughout Europe. Building on the success of the recent Tallinn Declaration – signed by 32 European Union and European Free Trade Association member states – Director of Research David Osimo takes a fresh look at the key challenge of digital government in an age of proliferating action plans and heightened political commitment. Why is Europe – with no less than three flagship programmes for improving the quality of online public services and strengthening citizen-state relations – still a place of uneven progress? What have previous programmes missed that could help make future programmes a success? The interactive policy brief was launched in the margins of the opening plenary of Milano Digital Week, Italy’s flagship festival for “innovation, design, and transformation through digita

In a world where the things that are easy to teach have also become easy to digitise and automate, lifelong learning and educational improvement are the keys to win the race with technology and shape the world for the better. Against this backdrop, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence, World Class Schools and the Future of Work. Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, initiator of the International Student Assessment (PISA) programme, and an international authority on education policy, led a fascinating deep-dive on the challenge of artificial intelligence for the education system. How can we best prepare our students? How can we open the system up to greater participation and lifelong learning? And what are the lessons of best practice gleaned from a life of studying education systems and measuring their results? Michel Servoz, senior adviser to President Jean-Claude Juncker on robotics, artificial intelligence and the future of European labour law, served as discussant, offering a broad overview of the emerging consensus on artificial intelligence and the need for broader, more ambitious frameworks for helping society prepare for and succeed in it. The discussion was held by the Future of Work Laboratory, a new centre of excellence led by the Lisbon Council. Mr Schleicher also used the occasion to launch his new book, World Class: How to Build a 21st Century School System.

Watch Andreas Schleicher on World Class Schools and Artificial Intelligence

Download World Class Schools: How to Build a 21st Century School System

Download Schleicher Presentation

In a world where the things that are easy to teach have also become easy to digitise and automate, lifelong learning and educational improvement are the keys to win the race with technology and shape the world for the better. Against this backdrop, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence, World Class Schools and the Future of Work. Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, initiator of the International Student Assessment (PISA) programme, and an international authority on education policy, led a fascinating deep-dive on the challenge of artificial intelligence for the education system. How can we best prepare our students? How can we open the system up to greater participation and lifelong learning? And what are the lessons of best practice gleaned from a life of studying education systems and measuring their results? Michel Servoz, senior adviser to President Jean-Claude Juncker on robotics, artificial intelligence and the future of European labour law, served as discussant, offering a broad overview of the emerging consensus on artificial intelligence and the need for broader, more ambitious frameworks for helping society prepare for and succeed in it. The discussion was held by the Future of Work Laboratory, a new centre of excellence led by the Lisbon Council. Mr Schleicher also used the occasion to launch his new book, World Class: How to Build a 21st Century School System.

]]>News & EventsFri, 22 Jun 2018 07:58:01 +0000‘Co-Everything:’ Bringing State Transformation to the Next Level https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/798.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/798.htmlSenior civil servants, post-graduate students and public-sector experts convened in Brussels for the latest meeting of the European Centre for Government Transformation. The discussions were fed by three outstanding case studies from College of Europe student teams, each assigned an agency to study and advice on a key modernisations strategy. This year, the aspiring European leaders worked on the public-services transition to artificial intelligence in Finland, designing a more digital, user-friendly parental benefit scheme in Norway and a tailoring employment activation support in Ireland. Gertrud Ingestad, director-general of informatics at the European Commission, led an all-star jury of top civil servants, who will jointly award The 2019 Public Sector Innovation Award to the winning team. Later in the day, members of the Government Innovation Executive Circle joined a fascinating and forward-looking discussion led by Ms Ingestad on the next plans and priorities for administrative interoperability in the upcoming European Commission and the “co-everything” approach that is being implemented to reach this objective. Gabriel Bellenger, global managing director, revenue industry consulting; Andreas Berggreen, director-general for IT and development at the Ministry of Taxation (Denmark); Michele Chang, professor of European political and governance studies at the College of Europe; Niall Egan, assistant secretary and head of the development and communications at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Ireland); Milagros Paniagua, chief of the public policies evaluation at the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (Spain); Frank Robben, general manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security (Belgium); and Pekka Sivonen, executive director of Business Finland, joined the fascinating conversation. The meeting convened under the umbrella of the European Centre for Government Transformation, a 10-year, tri-partite collaboration between the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.]]>News & EventsFri, 22 Feb 2019 11:48:08 +0000Future of Work? Work of the Future! New Study for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/808.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/808.html

The Lisbon Council hosted Michel Servoz, former director-general of DG employment and social affairs at the European Commission and hors classe adviser to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, for the presentation of his much-awaited report on The Future of Work? Work of the Future! How Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation are Transforming Jobs and the Economy in Europe. Commissioned by President Juncker, the report is the result of an extensive consultation with stakeholders and a more than year-long reflection on the policy implications of artificial intelligence.

Download The Future of Work? Work of the Future! on European Commission website

Watch Michel Servoz Presentation and High-Level Debate in Full

Watch a Short Interview with Michel Servoz (Available Later)

The Lisbon Council hosted Michel Servoz, former director-general of DG employment and social affairs at the European Commission and hors classe adviser to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, for the presentation of his much-awaited report on The Future of Work? Work of the Future! How Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation are Transforming Jobs and the Economy in Europe. Commissioned by President Juncker, the report is the result of an extensive consultation with stakeholders and a more than year-long reflection on the policy implications of artificial intelligence.

Elina Lepomäki, member of the Parliament of Finland, talks about her flagship “Life Account” proposal, a portable social-security model for Europe that combats the radically changing social situation, in a recent interview. Ms Lepomäki was speaking at the High-Level Summit on New Ideas for a New Economy: How Millennials Think About Life, Work, Politics and Social Security. The discussion was hosted by the Future of Work Laboratory, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council, a Brussels-based think tank.

]]>News & EventsWed, 20 Mar 2019 17:14:40 +0000Millennial Moment: New Ideas for a New Economyhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/803.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/803.htmlWeeks before crucial European elections, an eclectic gathering of pollsters, think tankers, policymakers and millennials convened in Brussels for the High-Level Summit on New Ideas for a New Economy: How Millennials Think About Life, Work, Politics and Social Security, a deep dive on the unique political thinking of the millennial generation and the future of work. Stephan Shakespeare, CEO and co-founder of YouGov, delivered The 2019 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, walking participants through the best evidence on the evolving economic and social perspective of the millennial generation. Elina Lepomäki, member of the Parliament of Finland and a card-carrying millennial, presented her innovative “Life Account” proposal, a portable social-security model for Europe. Ruth Paserman, deputy head of cabinet for Marianne Thyssen, commissioner for employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility at the European Commission, weighed in on plans and priorities. The discussion was hosted by the Future of Work Laboratory, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council.

Weeks before crucial European elections, an eclectic gathering of pollsters, think tankers, policymakers and millennials convened in Brussels for the High-Level Summit on New Ideas for a New Economy: How Millennials Think About Life, Work, Politics and Social Security, a deep dive on the unique political thinking of the millennial generation and the future of work. Stephan Shakespeare, CEO and co-founder of YouGov, delivered The 2019 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, walking participants through the best evidence on the evolving economic and social perspective of the millennial generation. Elina Lepomäki, member of the Parliament of Finland and a card-carrying millennial, presented her innovative “Life Account” proposal, a portable social-security model for Europe. Ruth Paserman, deputy head of cabinet for Marianne Thyssen, commissioner for employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility at the European Commission, weighed in on plans and priorities. The discussion was hosted by the Future of Work Laboratory, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council.

Watch The High-Level Summit on New Ideas for a New Economy in its entirety

]]>News & EventsTue, 19 Mar 2019 15:12:14 +0000ICT and Productivity: Europe’s Future Challengehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/786.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/786.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable and Policy Brief Launch on ICT, Productivity and European Prosperity. The session brought together an eclectic audience of policymakers, digital afficionados, academics and business leaders for a wide-ranging discussion on the way ICT can be used to foster greater productivity in Europe. Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), kicked off the discussion with a presentation on the key findings of How ICT Can Restore Lagging European Productivity Growth, a new policy brief which argues that supporting ICT adaption can restore productivity growth in Europe. Dirk Pilat, deputy director for science, technology and innovation at the OECD, discussed recent OECD findings on productivity and ICT including an overview of the emerging digital strategy. Fabrizia Benini, head of the digital economy and skills unit at the European Commission, shared the European Union’s plans and priorities in this field. The roundtable convened under the banner of DSM 2.0: Digital Futures Forum, a Lisbon Council-led initiative on Europe’s next digital agenda.

European policymakers, successful entrepreneurs and top data-economy analysts convened in Brussels for the High-Level Workshop on Beyond GPDR: Next Steps on the Road to a Healthy, Vibrant, World-Leading Data Economy in Europe, a half-day brainstorming on the future of the European data economy, co-hosted by the Lisbon Council and Sitra, the Finnish innovation fund. Mario Nava, director of horizontal policies at the European Commission’s DG financial stability, financial services and capital markets union, kicked-off the discussion with an overview of the lessons and early learning of the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2). Janna Sinipuro, director of Sitra’s human-driven data economy project (IHAN), presented Sitra’s vision of a “fair and functioning data economy.” The high-level discussion – which included senior executives from fintech, health, data management and other sectors – will feed directly into the Green Paper on the European Data Economy, a new policy brief that will look at the emerging post-GDPR data market in Europe and make concrete proposals for helping Europe attain world leadership in this key part of the digital economy. The paper is being co-written by Luukas K. Ilves, deputy director of the Lisbon Council, and David Osimo, director of research, and will be co-published by the Lisbon Council and Sitra on the eve of the Finland Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Download Sitra’s IHAN Presentation

European policymakers, successful entrepreneurs and top data-economy analysts convened in Brussels for the High-Level Workshop on Beyond GPDR: Next Steps on the Road to a Healthy, Vibrant, World-Leading Data Economy in Europe, a half-day brainstorming on the future of the European data economy, co-hosted by the Lisbon Council and Sitra, the Finnish innovation fund. Mario Nava, director of horizontal policies at the European Commission’s DG financial stability, financial services and capital markets union, kicked-off the discussion with an overview of the lessons and early learning of the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2). Janna Sinipuro, director of Sitra’s human-driven data economy project (IHAN), presented Sitra’s vision of a “fair and functioning data economy.” The high-level discussion – which included senior executives from fintech, health, data management and other sectors – will feed directly into the Green Paper on the European Data Economy, a new policy brief that will look at the emerging post-GDPR data market in Europe and make concrete proposals for helping Europe attain world leadership in this key part of the digital economy. The paper is being co-written by Luukas K. Ilves, deputy director of the Lisbon Council, and David Osimo, director of research, and will be co-published by the Lisbon Council and Sitra on the eve of the Finland Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

]]>News & EventsThu, 07 Mar 2019 07:51:17 +0000The Future of Work: What's Next on the European Agendahttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/780.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/780.htmlIn the margins of the High-Level Summit on Artificial Intelligence, World Class Schools and the Future of Work, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Lunch on the Future of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and European Labour Law. Michel Servoz, senior adviser to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, led a fascinating deep-dive on the social and economic challenge of an economy increasingly dependent on flexibility, transition and innovation. Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), served as discussant. The Working Lunch and Summit were hosted by the Future of Work Laboratory, a Lisbon Council centre of excellence.]]>News & EventsWed, 27 Jun 2018 10:24:50 +0000GDPR: The Challenge and Opportunity https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/769.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/769.htmlThe European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on Tax and Revenue Collection in the Era of Data Protection: How Agencies Can Make Challenge an Opportunity. In a series of thought-provoking keynotes and interactive breakout sessions, top European policymakers, chief information officers and information- and communication-technology directors from six leading European Union member state tax and revenue collection agencies discussed the steps their organisations are taking to be ready for the 25 May 2018 implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – and the challenge and opportunity that the world’s most ambitious law on data protection holds for public policy and European revenue collection agencies. Wojciech Wiewiórowski, assistant supervisor for the European Data Protection Supervisor and former vice-chair of the Working Party Article 29 Group, walked participants through the key components of the coming transition – and discussed the difficult trade-offs involved in adopting such an ambitious law in so many complex social and economic situations. His presentation is available below. Later, Stephen Quest, director-general for taxation and customs at the European Commission, delivered a fascinating keynote on the main technological trends reshaping the tax and revenue collection environment, and Peter Green, head of the Secretariat of the Forum on Tax Administration at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, discussed the emerging trends – and the range of policy responses it has inspired. Dimitri Devlamminck, head of regulatory affairs of the data department at BNP Paribas Fortis, gave some insight from the private sector, discussing how his bank had dealt with implementation of the complicated law from a financial-sector perspective. The high-level roundtable was hosted by the European Centre for Government Transformation, a tri-partite collaboration by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

Digital is a game changer, for developed and developing countries alike. Top policymakers, world-leading experts and digital aficionados gathered at the High-Level Summit on Development in the Digital Age: A New Agenda for the 21st Century, jointly convened by the Lisbon Council and the World Bank Group, to deep dive on the increasing role digital technologies play in the development agenda. Andrus Ansip, vice-president of the European Commission and chair of the working group on digital entrepreneurship at the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, delivered a powerful keynote; and Hans Timmer, chief economist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank Group, gave a fascinating presentation on the challenge of digital for developed and developing world alike. Janet Shufor Bih Fofang, founder of the Tassah Academy, managing director of Girls in Tech Cameroon and TechWoman 2013, led an all-star panel on the future of work, outlining her work to help children in Africa to learn STEM. Vincenzo Spiezia, head of the information and communications technology at the OECD, brought new insight on the impact of technologies in the labour market. Christian Bodewig, programme leader for inclusive growth in European Union member states at the Work Bank Group; Linda Corugedo Steneberg, director for policy strategy and outreach at the European Commission’s DG communications networks, content and technology; Massimiliano Paolucci, special representative to the European institutions of the World Bank Group; and Jane Treadwell, practice manager for transport and digital development at the World Bank Group, also intervened.

Watch the Full Video of the Development in the Digital Age Summit

Read Vice-President Ansip’s Speech

Download Vincenzo Spiezia Presentation

Download Digital Dividends: World Development Report 2016

Digital is a game changer, for developed and developing countries alike. Top policymakers, world-leading experts and digital aficionados gathered at the High-Level Summit on Development in the Digital Age: A New Agenda for the 21st Century, jointly convened by the Lisbon Council and the World Bank Group, to deep dive on the increasing role digital technologies play in the development agenda. Andrus Ansip, vice-president of the European Commission and chair of the working group on digital entrepreneurship at the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, delivered a powerful keynote; and Hans Timmer, chief economist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank Group, gave a fascinating presentation on the challenge of digital for developed and developing world alike. Janet Shufor Bih Fofang, founder of the Tassah Academy, managing director of Girls in Tech Cameroon and TechWoman 2013, led an all-star panel on the future of work, outlining her work to help children in Africa to learn STEM. Vincenzo Spiezia, head of the information and communications technology at the OECD, brought new insight on the impact of technologies in the labour market. Christian Bodewig, programme leader for inclusive growth in European Union member states at the Work Bank Group; Linda Corugedo Steneberg, director for policy strategy and outreach at the European Commission’s DG communications networks, content and technology; Massimiliano Paolucci, special representative to the European institutions of the World Bank Group; and Jane Treadwell, practice manager for transport and digital development at the World Bank Group, also intervened.

]]>News & EventsWed, 20 Jun 2018 06:15:37 +0000The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: From Guiding Principles to Effective Implementationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/787.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/787.htmlAs the debate around artificial intelligence intensifies, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Breakfast on the Ethics of Artificial IntelIigence: From Guiding Principles to Effective Implementation. Jen Gennai, head of ethical machine learning, trust and safety at Google, kicked the session off with a fascinating overview of the AI Principles launched in June by Google CEO Sundar Pinchai and the effort to implement and effectively enforce the principles across all Google platforms. Giulia del Brenna, deputy head of cabinet of Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for research, science and innovation; Marek Canecky, seconded national expert on cyber issues to the general secretariat of the Council of the European Union; Bjoern Juretzki, assistant to the director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission; Klaudia Majcher, digital policy analyst at the European Political Strategy Centre; Ana Ramirez, head of unit for internal market at the general secretariat of the Council of the European Union; Patricia Reilly, deputy head of cabinet of Tibor Navracsics, European commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport; Nathalie Smuha, from the office of the director for digital industry at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology; Dirk Staudenmayer, head of unit for contract law at the European Commission’s directorate-general for justice and consumers; and Nikolay Stoyanov, policy assistant to the senior adviser on artificial intelligence and robotics at the European Political Strategy Centre, joined a fascinating exchange about the challenge of ensuring decisions from “machine-learning” trained algorithms remain ethical and transparent and the way these high standards can be rolled out and effectively implemented at all times.]]>News & EventsThu, 08 Nov 2018 13:11:31 +0000The Future of Music: How Online Streaming Will Be a Win-Win-Win for Artists, Consumers and Society at Largehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/783.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/783.htmlAs the debate on levying a new European tax on “snippets” heated up, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Lunch on the Future of Music: How Online Streaming Will Be a Win-Win-Win for Artists, Consumers and Society at Large. Music-industry aficionados, top European legislators and culture-industry leaders joined a fascinating debate. Lyor Cohen, global head of music at YouTube, kicked the session off with a fascinating appeal for the music industry and technology companies to join together to give customers a better user experience. Giuseppe Abbamonte, director for media policy at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, gave an overview of the European Commission’s plans and priorities. Karel Bartak, head of unit for creative Europe, Culture at the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA); Stef Coninx, head of international relations and classical music team at Kunstenpunt (the organisation for the development of the visual arts, music and performing arts in Flanders and Brussels); Susan Danger, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU); Szabolcs Horvath, member of cabinet of Tibor Navracsics, European commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport; Rafaël Huybrechts, policy adviser for media at the department of culture, youth and media in the Government of Flanders (Belgium); Katarzyna Kuza, counsellor for culture, audiovisual policy and copyright at the permanent representation of Poland to the EU; Frances Moore, CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI); Olivia Regnier, director for European regulatory affairs at Spotify (and former IFPI executive); Helen Smith, executive chair of IMPALA Music; and Barbara Stacher, cultural and creative sectors, economy of culture, at the European Commission’s DG education, youth, sport and culture, joined a rich and wide-ranging discussion. Mr Cohen was in Brussels for the Benelux launch of YouTube Music, YouTube’s new for-pay streaming service. He brought a new and unusual perspective to the discussion, having previously served as CEO of Warner Music, where he brokered the watershed licensing deals with YouTube and Spotify. Prior to that, Mr Cohen served as founder of Island Def Jam a major U.S. record label supporting hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris and Kanye West, president of Island Def Jam and roadmanager of Run-DMC.]]>News & EventsWed, 05 Sep 2018 10:33:45 +0000Future of Europe: How a Radical Centre Can Deliver a Continent of Reform and Renewal https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/759.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/759.htmlAgainst the backdrop of renewed economic success in Europe, the Lisbon Council convened The Future of Europe Summit: How A Radical Centre Can Deliver a Continent of Reform and Renewal. In a wide-ranging, well-attended debate, The Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, kicked off the discussion with a vision of what would a truly modern progressive agenda should look like and how quickly can it be delivered. Prof Jean Pisani-Ferry, director for Programme and Ideas for Emmanuel Macron’s Presidential Campaign and professor at Sciences Po and the Hertie School of Governance, discussed the ideas that made the Macron campaign a success – and presented his latest report, Reconciling Risk Sharing with Market Discipline: A Constructive Approach to Euro Area Reform, a project led by 14 French and German economists that proposes six reforms to revive the European financial, fiscal and institutional architecture. Nadia Calviño, director-general for the budget at the European Commission, outlined her vision of the future of Europe, and the role that a modern EU budget can play in delivering effective outcomes.

Against the backdrop of renewed economic success in Europe, the Lisbon Council convened The Future of Europe Summit: How A Radical Centre Can Deliver a Continent of Reform and Renewal. In a wide-ranging, well-attended debate, The Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, kicked off the discussion with a vision of what would a truly modern progressive agenda should look like and how quickly can it be delivered. Prof Jean Pisani-Ferry, professor at Hertie School of Governance, professor at Sciences Po and director for Programme and Ideas for Emmanuel Macron’s Presidential Campaign, discussed the ideas that made the Macron campaign a success – and presented his latest report, “Reconciling Risk Sharing with Market Discipline: A Constructive Approach to Euro Area Reform,” a project led by 14 French and German economists that proposes six reforms to revive the European financial, fiscal and institutional architecture. Nadia Calviño, director-general for the budget at the European Commission, outlined her vision of the future of Europe, and the role that a modern EU budget can play in delivering effective outcomes.

Watch the Future of Europe Video Clip (when available)

Read Paul Hofheinz Introductory RemarksAgainst the backdrop of renewed economic success in Europe, the Lisbon Council convened The Future of Europe Summit: How A Radical Centre Can Deliver a Continent of Reform and Renewal. In a wide-ranging, well-attended debate, The Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, kicked off the discussion with a vision of what would a truly modern progressive agenda should look like and how quickly can it be delivered. Prof Jean Pisani-Ferry, professor at Hertie School of Governance, professor at Sciences Po and director for Programme and Ideas for Emmanuel Macron’s Presidential Campaign, discussed the ideas that made the Macron campaign a success – and presented his latest report, “Reconciling Risk Sharing with Market Discipline: A Constructive Approach to Euro Area Reform,” a project led by 14 French and German economists that proposes six reforms to revive the European financial, fiscal and institutional architecture. Nadia Calviño, director-general for the budget at the European Commission, outlined her vision of the future of Europe, and the role that a modern EU budget can play in delivering effective outcomes.

The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on Digital Diplomacy under the timely theme of Evolution or Revolution? How Digital Diplomacy Will Change the World and How the World Is Changing Digital Diplomacy. The one and half day-long roundtable brought together a high-powered group of international diplomats, policymakers, chief information officers, academics and other thought leaders from, inter alia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Sweden and the European External Action Service. Prof Jovan Kurbalija, professor of diplomacy at the College of Europe and founding director of DiploFoundation, kicked off with a thought-provoking overview of key trends in digital diplomacy. Maria Belovas, head of communications at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and leadership team member of the Digital Diplomacy Coalition, led a fascinating workshop on big data and social media, and shared the advanced work of the Government of Estonia in this field. Later, François Rivasseau, head of security and space policy and special envoy for space to the High-Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the European External Action Service, animated an interactive breakout session on cybersecurity and state-level cyber crime, and high-level facilitators brought the CIOs together for a “design thinking” session to study policy options and share best practice. Managed by the Lisbon Council, the European Centre for Government Transformation is a high-level network and multi-disciplinary research centre for studying state transformation and exchanging best practice. It was founded in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

Download Kurbalija Presentation

The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on Digital Diplomacy under the timely theme of Evolution or Revolution? How Digital Diplomacy Will Change the World and How the World Is Changing Digital Diplomacy. The one and half day-long roundtable brought together a high-powered group of international diplomats, policymakers, chief information officers, academics and other thought leaders from, inter alia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Sweden and the European External Action Service. Prof Jovan Kurbalija, professor of diplomacy at the College of Europe and founding director of DiploFoundation, kicked off with a thought-provoking overview of key trends in digital diplomacy. Maria Belovas, head of communications at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and leadership team member of the Digital Diplomacy Coalition, led a fascinating workshop on big data and social media, and shared the advanced work of the Government of Estonia in this field. Later, François Rivasseau, head of security and space policy and special envoy for space to the High-Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the European External Action Service, animated an interactive breakout session on cybersecurity and state-level cyber crime, and high-level facilitators brought the CIOs together for a “design thinking” session to study policy options and share best practice. Managed by the Lisbon Council, the European Centre for Government Transformation is a high-level network and multi-disciplinary research centre for studying state transformation and exchanging best practice. It was founded in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

]]>News & EventsThu, 08 Feb 2018 13:10:18 +0000The Future of Work and the Collaborative Economy: A High-Level Roundtablehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/729.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/729.htmlBringing together an eclectic group of policymakers, researchers and new-economy participants, the Lisbon Council hosted a High-Level Working Lunch on the Future of Work and the Collaborative Economy. Vincenzo Spiezia, senior economist for measurement and analysis of the digital economy at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), kicked off the discussion with an overview of recent evidence on the new economy – how employment trends are changing and how work preferences are changing, too. Luc Delany, chair of EUCoLab, the European Collaborative Economy Forum; Andrea Gönner, co-founder and owner of Garnwelt (a Germany-based online business); Ruby Gropas, team leader for social affairs at the European Political Strategy Centre of the European Commission; Marcel Haag, director for policy co-ordination at the secretariat-general of the European Commission; Kamil Kiljanksi, chief economist of the directorate-general for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at the European Commission; Djamila Temouch, independent driver (France); Zuzana Gentner-Vavrová, principal administrator of the internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO) at the European Parliament; and Agata Wejman, head of EU public policy at Uber, participated in a wide-ranging discussion, which will feed directly into an evolving Lisbon Council work stream on the Future of Work and the Collaborative Economy.

Download Vincenzo Spiezia Presentation

]]>News & EventsThu, 09 Mar 2017 09:07:49 +0000Digital Trade: Staying Connected in a Diverging Worldhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/765.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/765.htmlAs storm clouds gather over the global trading system and Britain and Europe re-think their economic relationship, senior policymakers, think tankers and other digital-economy experts convened for the High-Level Working Lunch on Digital Trade and Policy: Staying Connected in a Diverging World, hosted by the Lisbon Council. Matthew Gould, director-general for digital and media policy in the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) of the United Kingdom, outlined his vision of modern digital-trade principles, pro-innovation Internet regulation, powerful cyber security, effective data protection and secure crossborder data flows. Later, Gonçalo Carriço, political adviser for innovation, technology and digital policy, European People’s Party (EPP); Nele Eichhorn, member of cabinet, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström; Paolo Grassia, head of regulation, European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO); Robert Madelin, chair and director of Fipra International; Laure Wagener, senior adviser for data regulation, Vodafone; and Sarah Wagner, digital trade policy manager, DigitalEurope, joined the working lunch, which focused on devising new means of collaboration, and setting effective rules for crossborder data trade. The working lunch was chaired by Luukas Ilves, deputy director and senior fellow, the Lisbon Council.

As storm clouds gather over the global trading system and Britain and Europe re-think their economic relationship, senior policymakers, think tankers and other digital-economy experts convened for the High-Level Working Lunch on Digital Trade and Policy: Staying Connected in a Diverging World, hosted by the Lisbon Council. Matthew Gould, director-general for digital and media policy in the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) of the United Kingdom, outlined his vision of modern digital-trade principles, pro-innovation Internet regulation, powerful cyber security, effective data protection and secure crossborder data flows. Later, Gonçalo Carriço, political adviser for innovation, technology and digital policy, European People’s Party (EPP); Nele Eichhorn, member of cabinet, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström; Paolo Grassia, head of regulation, European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO); Robert Madelin, chair and director of Fipra International; Laure Wagener, senior adviser for data regulation, Vodafone; and Sarah Wagner, digital trade policy manager, DigitalEurope, joined the working lunch, which focused on devising new means of collaboration, and setting effective rules for crossborder data trade. The working lunch was chaired by Luukas Ilves, deputy director and senior fellow, the Lisbon Council.

As storm clouds gather over the global trading system and Britain and Europe re-think their economic relationship, senior policymakers, think tankers and other digital-economy experts convened for the High-Level Working Lunch on Digital Trade and Policy: Staying Connected in a Diverging World, hosted by the Lisbon Council. Matthew Gould, director-general for digital and media policy in the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) of the United Kingdom, outlined his vision of modern digital-trade principles, pro-innovation Internet regulation, powerful cyber security, effective data protection and secure crossborder data flows. Later, Gonçalo Carriço, political adviser for innovation, technology and digital policy, European People’s Party (EPP); Nele Eichhorn, member of cabinet, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström; Paolo Grassia, head of regulation, European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO); Robert Madelin, chair and director of Fipra International; Laure Wagener, senior adviser for data regulation, Vodafone; and Sarah Wagner, digital trade policy manager, DigitalEurope, joined the working lunch, which focused on devising new means of collaboration, and setting effective rules for crossborder data trade. The working lunch was chaired by Luukas Ilves, deputy director and senior fellow, the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsMon, 05 Mar 2018 13:09:51 +0000Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Searchhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/756.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/756.htmlAgainst the backdrop of an intensifying debate on the future and power of artificial intelligence, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Lunch on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Search. Ben Gomes, vice-president of search engineering at Google, kicked off the debate with a wide-ranging look at the frontline challenge: what role does search play in the emerging digital society? And how do you keep search results objective and effective in a world where so many people are trying to game the outcome? Carl Buhr, deputy head of the cabinet of Mariya Gabriel, commissioner for digital economy and society, chimed in with a fascinating overview of European Commission plans and priorities. The High-Level Working Lunch was part of a series convened by the Lisbon Council to explore the challenge and opportunity of artificial intelligence. The results will feed into a series of working papers to be published later this year.]]>News & EventsFri, 12 Jan 2018 10:28:53 +0000Online Platforms: New Evidence, Next Stepshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/774.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/774.htmlAgainst the backdrop of a raging debate on digital platforms, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Platforms in the Digital Age: A Deep Dive on the Economics and Regulatory Challenge of Online Platforms. The session brought together an eclectic group of regulators, app developers, platform managers and other digital economy aficianados for a wide-ranging discussion on the economic role of online platforms – and the regulatory challenge it poses. Brian Williamson, partner at Communications Chambers, kicked off the discussion with a presentation on Reconciling Private Market Governance and Law: A Policy Primer on Digital Platforms, a new study on the complexity of digital-market regulation, which was launched on the occasion. Daniel Matray, director continental Europe App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV App and iTunes at Apple, chimed in with an overview of Apple’s European footprint, and the emerging eco-system of apps, app developers, online customers and online businesses. Later, Lenard Koschwitz, director for European affairs at Allied for Startups; Siada El Ramly, director-general of the European Digital Media Association (EDiMA); Arne Schepker, chief marketing officer of Babbel, and Werner Stengg, head of unit for platforms and e-Commerce at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, weighed in, offering their views on the coming challenge of EU regulation in the field.

Against the backdrop of a raging debate on digital platforms, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Platforms in the Digital Age: A Deep Dive on the Economics and Regulatory Challenge of Online Platforms. The session brought together an eclectic group of regulators, app developers, platform managers and other digital economy aficianados for a wide-ranging discussion on the economic role of online platforms – and the regulatory challenge it poses. Brian Williamson, partner at Communications Chambers, kicked off the discussion with a presentation on Reconciling Private Market Governance and Law: A Policy Primer on Digital Platforms, a new study on the complexity of digital-market regulation, which was launched on the occasion. Daniel Matray, director continental Europe App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV App and iTunes at Apple, chimed in with an overview of Apple’s European footprint, and the emerging eco-system of apps, app developers, online customers and online businesses. Later, Lenard Koschwitz, director for European affairs at Allied for Startups; Siada El Ramly, director-general of the European Digital Media Association (EDiMA); Arne Schepker, chief marketing officer of Babbel, and Werner Stengg, head of unit for platforms and e-Commerce at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, chimed in, offering their views on the coming challenge of EU regulation in the field.Against the backdrop of a raging debate on digital platforms, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Platforms in the Digital Age: A Deep Dive on the Economics and Regulatory Challenge of Online Platforms. The session brought together an eclectic group of regulators, app developers, platform managers and other digital economy aficianados for a wide-ranging discussion on the economic role of online platforms – and the regulatory challenge it poses. Brian Williamson, partner at Communications Chambers, kicked off the discussion with a presentation on Reconciling Private Market Governance and Law: A Policy Primer on Digital Platforms, a new study on the complexity of digital-market regulation, which was launched on the occasion. Daniel Matray, director continental Europe App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV App and iTunes at Apple, chimed in with an overview of Apple’s European footprint, and the emerging eco-system of apps, app developers, online customers and online businesses. Later, Lenard Koschwitz, director for European affairs at Allied for Startups; Siada El Ramly, director-general of the European Digital Media Association (EDiMA); Arne Schepker, chief marketing officer of Babbel, and Werner Stengg, head of unit for platforms and e-Commerce at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, chimed in, offering their views on the coming challenge of EU regulation in the field

]]>News & EventsWed, 16 May 2018 08:17:14 +0000Cities Lead the Way in Digital Governmenthttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/763.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/763.htmlGraduate students, top civil servants, management consultants, think tankers and other public-sector leaders gathered in Brussels for The 2018 College of Europe State Transformation Case Study Presentations. The high-level roundtable was hosted by the European Centre for Government Transformation, a tri-partite collaboration between the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture. At the opening session, three teams of College of Europe students (Simone Veil promotion) presented the preliminary findings of their year-long investigation into the concrete problems of a European public service agency. This year, the aspiring civil servants studied a pilot project to use blockchain for land registration in Torino (Italy), a public campaign for quicker adoption of smart lighting in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), and ways of managing health and mobility more efficiently to boost growth in Stavanger (Norway). Gertrud Ingestad, director-general for informatics at the European Commission, chaired the high-level jury of top civil servants from EU member states and the European institutions, who will eventually award The 2018 Public Service Innovation Award to the best project. This year, the cities themselves were all chosen from among the finalists of the European Capital of Innovation Award, a multi-year European Commission-led programme to grant cash prizes to innovative cities to scale up and expand innovative policies. Later, members of the Government Innovation Executive Circle met to discuss the challenge and opportunity of public service in the digital age. Ms Ingestad kicked off with a broad discussion on the state of play of “interoperability,” and the plans and priorities of the European Commission. Roberta Cocco, counsellor for digital transformation and citizens services at Milan, brilliantly outlined the strategy she is implementing to provide better, more user-centric and modern public services to citizens.]]>News & EventsWed, 14 Feb 2018 11:34:10 +0000Peter Praet Keynotes the Euro Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/753.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/753.html

Economists, policymakers, thinktankers and top EU diplomats joined The 2017 Euro Summit, a high-level policy debate which convened around the theme The Outlook for Reform: Unlocking Potential Growth and Delivering Sustainable Employment. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg, kicked off the debate with a high-level presentation of The 2017 Euro Plus Monitor: Into a Higher Gear, the latest edition of the leading competitiveness ranking published by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. Peter Praet, executive board member and chief economist of the European Central Bank, chimed in The 2017 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, a tour d’horizon of current ECB thinking on the outlook for reform – and the prospects for monetary policy in the transition back to sustainable growth. Maarten Verwey, director-general for structural reform support service at the secretariat-general of the European Commission, described the plans and priorities of the European Commission in this key area. The summit took place days ahead of the December European Council where heads of states and governments will agree on important timelines for decisions regarding the banking union and the European monetary union.

Download the Official Text of The 2017 Ludwig Erhard Lecture

Download Peter Praet Presentation Slides

Download The 2017 Euro Plus Monitor

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Economists, policymakers, think tankers and top EU diplomats joined The 2017 Euro Summit, a high-level policy debate which convened around the theme The Outlook for Reform: Unlocking Potential Growth and Delivering Sustainable Employment. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg, kicked off the debate with a high-level presentation of The 2017 Euro Plus Monitor: Into a Higher Gear, the latest edition of the leading competitiveness ranking published by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. Peter Praet, executive board member and chief economist of the European Central Bank, chimed in The 2017 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, a tour d’horizon of current ECB thinking on the outlook for reform – and the prospects for monetary policy in the transition back to sustainable growth. Maarten Verwey, director-general for structural reform support service at the secretariat-general of the European Commission, described the plans and priorities of the European Commission in this key area. The summit took place days ahead of the December European Council where heads of states and governments will agree on important timelines for decisions regarding the banking union and the European monetary union.

The Lisbon Council and Nesta launch The Creative Economy in Europe: Why Human Beings Remain the Economy's Key Asset, a hard-hitting new policy brief which highlights the pivotal role of creativity and creative work in the economy. Building on a decade of cutting-edge research at Nesta, the authors – Hasan Bakhshi, Ian Hargreaves and Paul Hofheinz – argue that economic value added is fast becoming less the exclusive domain of complex manufacturing chains built around advanced organisational capabilities, and is found more and more in the “creative” component that human workers bring to their jobs. The policy brief highlights the urgent need for European policymakers to ensure that Europe’s human-capital base is second to none and that its economy is attractive enough to retain its most talented, creative people. It was launched on the eve of Digital Day, a key European Union minister-level meeting taking place in Rome on Thursday, 23 March.

The Lisbon Council and Nesta launch The Creative Economy in Europe: Why Human Beings Remain the Economy's Key Asset, a hard-hitting new policy brief which highlights the pivotal role of creativity and creative work in the economy. Building on a decade of cutting-edge research at Nesta, the authors – Hasan Bakhshi, Ian Hargreaves and Paul Hofheinz – argue that economic value added is fast becoming less the exclusive domain of complex manufacturing chains built around advanced organisational capabilities, and is found more and more in the “creative” component that human workers bring to their jobs. The policy brief highlights the urgent need for European policymakers to ensure that Europe’s human-capital base is second to none and that its economy is attractive enough to retain its most talented, creative people. It was launched on the eve of Digital Day, a key European Union minister-level meeting taking place in Rome on Thursday, 23 March.

In a unique collaboration, the Lisbon Council and Facebook convened The Future of Business Summit. Gathering in the gorgeous Concert Noble in Brussels around the timely theme Thinking Europe, Going Global, the summit united a dozen insanely successful European small- and medium-sized business leaders, senior policymakers and digital aficionados for a lively day of high-level discussion, direct exchange, business-model discovery and digital engagement. Kaja Kallas, member of the European Parliament (ALDE-Estonia); Eva Maydell, member of the European Parliament (EPP-Bulgaria); Thomas Myrup Kristensen, head of the Facebook Brussels office; and Khalil Rouhana, deputy director-general for communications, networks, content and technology at the European Commission, spoke in the Opening Plenary, where they discussed the future of the digital single market – and the way Europe can help small- and medium-sized businesses and how SMEs can help build Europe. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council; Chaya Nayak, public policy research manager at Facebook, and David Osimo, head of research at the Lisbon Council, presented the Future of Business Survey, a unique four-partite collaboration – including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank – to take the pulse of Europe’s fastest growing businesses – and translate them into actionable advice and new policy initiatives. Ciaran Quilty, vice-president for SMEs in the EMEA at Facebook, discussed Facebook’s commitment to SMEs. Later, Irmfried Schwimann, deputy director-general in the directorate for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG-GROW), described the European Commission’s plans and priorities for the SME sector; Catherine Gazzoli, founder of Piccolo Foods; Patrick Kelly, marketing manager at Aran Sweater Market; and Daniel Gorr, chief marketing officer of Holzconnection, discussed the challenges their businesses face, the opportunity that digital technology had brought, and the way they had managed to grow and prosper regardless. Throughout the day, participants had the chance to mingle with leading European entrepreneurs and experiment with new virtual reality technology.

Watch interview with Eva Paunova

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In a unique collaboration, the Lisbon Council and Facebook convened The Future of Business Summit. Gathering in the gorgeous Concert Noble in Brussels around the timely theme Thinking Europe, Going Global, the summit united a dozen insanely successful European small- and medium-sized business leaders, senior policymakers and digital aficionados for a lively day of high-level discussion, direct exchange, business-model discovery and digital engagement. Kaja Kallas, member of the European Parliament (ALDE-Estonia); Eva Maydell, member of the European Parliament (EPP-Bulgaria); Thomas Myrup Kristensen, head of the Facebook Brussels office; and Khalil Rouhana, deputy director-general for communications, networks, content and technology at the European Commission, spoke in the Opening Plenary, where they discussed the future of the digital single market – and the way Europe can help small- and medium-sized businesses and how SMEs can help build Europe. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council; Chaya Nayak, public policy research manager at Facebook, and David Osimo, head of research at the Lisbon Council, presented the Future of Business Survey, a unique four-partite collaboration – including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank – to take the pulse of Europe’s fastest growing businesses – and translate them into actionable advice and new policy initiatives. Ciaran Quilty, vice-president for SMEs in the EMEA at Facebook, discussed Facebook’s commitment to SMEs. Later, Irmfried Schwimann, deputy director-general in the directorate for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG-GROW), described the European Commission’s plans and priorities for the SME sector; Catherine Gazzoli, founder of Piccolo Foods; Patrick Kelly, marketing manager at Aran Sweater Market; and Daniel Gorr, chief marketing officer of Holzconnection, discussed the challenges their businesses face, the opportunity that digital technology had brought, and the way they had managed to grow and prosper regardless. Throughout the day, participants had the chance to mingle with leading European entrepreneurs and experiment with new virtual reality technology.

The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Dinner on Competition in the Mobile Economy. Prof Dr Torsten Körber, chair for civil law, competition law, insurance law, corporate law and regulation law at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, keynoted, presenting his most recent research on the evolution of competition rules in the digital era. The session was the third working dinner hosted by the Lisbon Council under the Competition Economics initiative. The programme brings together an eclectic, high-level community to explore the changing nature of markets and economic behaviour in the digital age, and the particular challenges these changes pose for dynamic, effective competition policy. Previous working dinner keynotes have include Christopher Yoo, director of the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Competition at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Renato Nazzini, professor of law at King’s College London.

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The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Dinner on Competition in the Mobile Economy. Prof Dr Torsten Körber, chair for civil law, competition law, insurance law, corporate law and regulation law at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, keynoted, presenting his most recent research on the evolution of competition rules in the digital era. The session was the third working dinner hosted by the Lisbon Council under the Competition Economics initiative. The programme brings together an eclectic, high-level community to explore the changing nature of markets and economic behaviour in the digital age, and the particular challenges these changes pose for dynamic, effective competition policy. Previous working dinner keynotes have include Christopher Yoo, director of the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Competition at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Renato Nazzini, professor of law at King’s College London.

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are all the rage in policymaking circles these days. But how do we turn a clear technological win – a new way of analysing information, automating tasks and raising productivity – into a clear triple-win for citizens, society and business as well? That was the theme of the High-Level Working Lunch on the People + Artificial Intelligence (PAIR) Initiative. Fernanda Viégas, co-head of research at Google Brain, presented a fascinating overview of the latest learnings on the scope and reach of artificial intelligence, the challenge of embedding transparency in algorithms and the effort to ensure that machines which learn from data sets driven by human activity don’t merely replicate existing human bias in their outcomes.

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are all the rage in policymaking circles these days. But how do we turn a clear technological win – a new way of analysing information, automating tasks and raising productivity – into a clear triple-win for citizens, society and business as well? That was the theme of the High-Level Working Lunch on the People + Artificial Intelligence (PAIR) Initiative. Fernanda Viégas, co-head of research at Google Brain, presented a fascinating overview of the latest learnings on the scope and reach of artificial intelligence, the challenge of embedding transparency in algorithms and the effort to ensure that machines which learn from data sets driven by human activity don’t merely replicate existing human bias in their outcomes.

The High-Level Working Lunch on Value Creation, Streaming Video and the Music Industry gathered innovators, industry practitioners, thought leaders and national regulators for an evidence-based discussion on intellectual property and the music industry in the digital age. Maud Sacquet, senior manager for public policy at the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), launched a new CCIA paper on recent growth trends in the music sector and changing economic dynamics. Patrick Smith, partner at RBB Economics, presented new evidence on the market modelling behind music distribution. Jake Beaumont-Nestbitt, policy adviser and former executive director at the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF), gave an artists’ perspective, sharing his hands-on experience as a prominent talent manager in an age of profound change.

Read CCIA’s New Paper on Value Growth, Not Value Gap

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The High-Level Working Lunch on Value Creation, Streaming Video and the Music Industry gathered innovators, industry practitioners, thought leaders and national regulators for an evidence-based discussion on intellectual property and the music industry in the digital age. Maud Sacquet, senior manager for public policy at the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), launched a new CCIA paper on recent growth trends in the music sector and changing economic dynamics. Patrick Smith, partner at RBB Economics, presented new evidence on the market modelling behind music distribution. Jake Beaumont-Nestbitt, policy adviser and former executive director at the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF), gave an artists’ perspective, sharing his hands-on experience as a prominent talent manager in an age of profound change.

The Lisbon Council publishes Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Opportunity and Challenge, a discussion paper on the future of artificial intelligence. The paper presents the challenges and implications of artificial intelligence for Europe and lays a set of key points for further discussion. It was prepared by the Lisbon Council for the High-Level Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, where Greg Corrado, senior research scientist at Google and co-leader of Google’s large scale deep neural networks project, delivered the keynote. The paper is part of the ongoing Industries of the Future initiative, a multi-disciplinary collaboration led by FTI Consulting, Google and the Lisbon Council.

The Lisbon Council publishes Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Opportunity and Challenge, a discussion paper on the future of artificial intelligence. The paper presents the implications of artificial intelligence for Europe and lays a set of key points for further discussion. It was prepared by the Lisbon Council for the High-Level Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, where Greg Corrado, senior research scientist at Google and co-leader of Google’s large scale deep neural networks project, delivered the keynote. The paper is part of the ongoing Industries of the Future initiative, a multi-disciplinary collaboration led by FTI Consulting, Google and the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsMon, 27 Feb 2017 08:58:37 +0000Tallinn Ministerial Declaration on eGovernmenthttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/748.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/748.htmlEuropean Union and European Free Trade Area (EFTA) member states signed the Tallinn Declaration on eGovernment, a new European commitment on significant priorities towards ensuring high-quality, user-centric digital public services for citizens and seamless cross-border service provision for businesses. The Tallinn Declaration was signed during the EU/EFTA Ministerial Meeting which took place in the framework of the eGovernment Ministerial Conference. Urve Palo, Estonian minister of entrepreneurship and information technology, representing the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, chaired the meeting, while Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice-president for the digital single market, delivered the keynote. The Lisbon Council had the honour of serving as strategic adviser to the project and offered evidence and insight through research, high-level roundtables and an open online consultation.

Europe has entered a new phase, with much hard reform work and austerity behind it. Even France, Europe’s most important laggard, is starting to improve. It could even overtake Germany as Europe’s star performer if the envisaged reforms take hold. Can the Macron agenda turn France into the continent’s economic powerhouse in the next decade? And is the eurozone on the right track? Find answers to these questions in The Euro Plus Monitor September 2017 Update: The Next Stage, the leading economic adjustment ranking, published by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. Since 2011, The Euro Plus Monitor has tracked the fundamental economic health and recent adjustment progress of the 28 members of the European Union. In this update, we recalculate the previous results from December 2016 based on final data for the full year 2016 and on export and import data for the first half of 2017. The study was formally launched at the Berenberg European Reform Conference in London

Europe has entered a new phase, with much hard reform work and austerity behind it. Even France, Europe’s most important laggard, is starting to improve. It could even overtake Germany as Europe’s star performer if the envisaged reforms take hold. Can the Macron agenda turn France into the continent’s economic powerhouse in the next decade? And is the eurozone on the right track? Find answers to these questions in The Euro Plus Monitor September 2017 Update: The Next Stage, the leading economic adjustment ranking, published by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. Since 2011, The Euro Plus Monitor has tracked the fundamental economic health and recent adjustment progress of the 28 members of the European Union. In this update, we recalculate the previous results from December 2016 based on final data for the full year 2016 and on export and import data for the first half of 2017. The study was formally launched at the Berenberg European Reform Conference in London.

The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Innovation Summit on Delivering Human Services in a Digital World in the Paris Innovation Centre, a state of the art, multi-disciplinary centre comprising strategists, public sector specialists, designers and programmers. The day-long summit brought together an eclectic mix of high-level civil servants and thought leaders from, inter alia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland. Laurent Haug, director of Monito, contributing editor to Wired-UK and Switzerland-based serial investor, delivered the keynote and led a fascinating discussion on the challenge and opportunity offered by the digital era. Mark Pearson, deputy director for employment, labour and social affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), presented the highlights of Employment Outlook 2017 and shared his thoughts on the future of work; David Colon, professor and educational director at Sciences Po, described the skills challenges of tomorrow; and Dominique La Salle, director for social security at the International Social Security Association (ISSA), outlined his vision for social security agencies in the fast-emerging digital economy. Later, Anja Block, employment expert at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit in Germany; Vesa Jouppila, development director at KEHA-keskus, the development and administrative centre for the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in Finland; Torbjørn Larsen, chief information officer at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV); and Mikko Rantahalme, digitalisation project director for operational development at KEHA-keskus; also presented fascinating case studies on reform in their agencies, and discussed the spread of best practice throughout this vibrant community. Kristina Naruseviciute and Lina Navickaite, co-founders of Smartup Visuals, served as rapporteurs, presenting a riveting visual narrative of the day in a flowing illustration. The European Centre for Government Transformation is a leading-edge research centre and practitioner-driven community dedicated to providing pragmatic and actionable solutions to

government agencies and public-service providers. It was founded in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, Accenture and the College of Europe.

The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Innovation Summit on Delivering Human Services in a Digital World in the Paris Innovation Centre, a state of the art, multi-disciplinary centre comprising strategists, public sector specialists, designers and programmers. The day-long summit brought together an eclectic mix of high-level civil servants and thought leaders from, inter alia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland. Laurent Haug, director of Monito, contributing editor to Wired-UK and Switzerland-based serial investor, delivered the keynote and led a fascinating discussion on the challenge and opportunity offered by the digital era. Mark Pearson, deputy director for employment, labour and social affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), presented the highlights of Employment Outlook 2017 and shared his thoughts on the future of work; David Colon, professor and educational director at Sciences Po, described the skills challenges of tomorrow; and Dominique La Salle, director for social security at the International Social Security Association (ISSA), outlined his vision for social security agencies in the fast-emerging digital economy. Later, Anja Block, employment expert at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit in Germany; Vesa Jouppila, development director at KEHA-keskus, the development and administrative centre for the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in Finland; Torbjørn Larsen, chief information officer at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV); and Mikko Rantahalme, digitalisation project director for operational development at KEHA-keskus; also presented fascinating case studies on reform in their agencies, and discussed the spread of best practice throughout this vibrant community. Kristina Naruseviciute and Lina Navickaite, co-founders of Smartup Visuals, served as rapporteurs, presenting a riveting visual narrative of the day in a flowing illustration. The European Centre for Government Transformation is a leading-edge research centre and practitioner-driven community dedicated to providing pragmatic and actionable solutions to government agencies and public-service providers. It was founded in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, Accenture and the College of Europe.

]]>News & EventsFri, 16 Jun 2017 09:57:37 +0000Carlos Moedas Keynotes The 2016 European Digital Forumhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/718.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/718.htmlThe 2016 European Digital Forum convened under the timely theme Financing Growth and Growing Finance. Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for research, science and innovation, delivered The 2016 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture. He laid out his vision of the European Innovation Council and a fund of funds as key elements. Klaas de Boer, managing partner of Entrepreneurs Fund; Michael Collins, chief executive of Invest Europe; Marie Ekeland, co-founder of Daphni; Eric Forest, chairman and CEO of EnterNext; Uli Grabenwarter, deputy director, equity investments of the European Investment Fund; Alberto Onetti, director of Startup Europe Partnership; chairman and president of Mind the Bridge; Alexander Rittweger, founder of Payback; Matthias Ummenhofer, founder and managing director of Mojo Capital; Francisco Velázquez de Cuéllar, founder and managing partner of Axon Partners Group, joined the debate, sharing their wisdom and expertise. The 2016 European Digital Forum is the flagship annual summit of the European Digital Forum, a think tank managed by the Lisbon Council, Nesta and Open Evidence in collaboration with the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative.

The 2016 European Digital Forum convened under the timely theme Financing Growth and Growing Finance. Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for research, science and innovation, delivered The 2016 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture. He laid out his vision of the European Innovation Council and a fund of funds as key elements. Klaas de Boer, managing partner of Entrepreneurs Fund; Michael Collins, chief executive of Invest Europe; Marie Ekeland, co-founder of Daphni; Eric Forest, chairman and CEO of EnterNext; Uli Grabenwarter, deputy director, equity investments of the European Investment Fund; Alberto Onetti, director of Startup Europe Partnership; chairman and president of Mind the Bridge; Alexander Rittweger, founder of Payback; Matthias Ummenhofer, founder and managing director of Mojo Capital; and Francisco Velázquez de Cuéllar, founder and managing partner of Axon Partners Group, joined the debate, sharing their wisdom and expertise. The 2016 European Digital Forum is the flagship annual summit of the European Digital Forum, a think tank managed by the Lisbon Council, Nesta and Open Evidence in collaboration with the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative.

]]>News & EventsMon, 28 Nov 2016 17:05:44 +0000Scale Up Europe: A Manifesto for Change and Empowerment in the Digital Agehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/714.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/714.htmlThere’s no shortage of ambitious thinking in Europe; in fact, the continent boasts more entrepreneurs per capita than the United States, the traditional benchmark for excellence. But European startups face a difficult maze of problems – restricted national markets, a shortage of capital, a regulatory framework built for 19th century capitalism. That’s why leading startup associations and entrepreneurs conceived, crowdsourced and wrote Scale Up Europe: A Manifesto for Change and Empowerment in the Digital Age, a hard-hitting action plan with 49 proposals to help Europe “scale up.”

The Lisbon Council is proud to support this independent community-led effort. Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council and director of the European Digital Forum, joined as founding signatory. The petition is open to all – to sign, and to join the Scale Up Europe movement.

There’s no shortage of ambitious thinking in Europe; in fact, the continent boasts more entrepreneurs per capita than the United States, the traditional benchmark for excellence. But European startups face a difficult maze of problems – restricted national markets, a shortage of capital, a regulatory framework built for 19th century capitalism. That’s why leading startup associations and entrepreneurs conceived, crowdsourced and wrote Scale Up Europe: A Manifesto for Change and Empowerment in the Digital Age, a hard-hitting action plan with 49 proposals to help Europe “scale up.”

]]>News & EventsWed, 28 Sep 2016 09:28:24 +0000Competition Economics: Prof Renato Nazzini leads High-Level Working Dinnerhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/735.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/735.htmlA high-powered and eclectic group of senior policymakers, NGOs, mobile-networks afficionados and digital-economy experts convened for the High-Level Working Dinner with Prof Renato Nazzini. Renowned King’s College Professor Renato Nazzini kicked off the discussion with an advance look at Rethinking Tying under European Union Competition Law: From Classic Leveraging to Android, a forthcoming ISSN publication. Member of the European Parliament Tibor Szanyi (S&D, Hungary), the rapporteur on the European Parliament Annual Report on Competition Policy 2016, weighed in, discussing the intellectual challenges of defining markets ensuring a level playing field in the digital era. Sylwia Giepmans-Stępień, senior analyst public policy and government relations at Google; Thibaut Kleiner, deputy head of cabinet of European Commissioner Günther Oettinger; Michal Mottl, economic data analyst for eCommerce and platforms at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology; Michael Quigley, Europe director at the Progressive Policy Institute; Agustín Reyna, digital team leader at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC); Alexandre de Streel, EU law professor at the University of Namur and director of the Research Centre for Information Law and Society (CRIDS); and James Waterworth, vice-president Europe at the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), also joined, discussing their on-the-ground experience with competition law and the fast-changing digital economy. The session was the second working dinner hosted by the Lisbon Council under the new Competition Economics initiative. The work stream explores the intersection of competition policy with the digital economy, looking to bring dynamic theory together with real-world experience in a high-level, stakeholder-driven community.]]>News & EventsWed, 31 May 2017 08:44:07 +0000Leading Economists Launch New Papers at The 2016 Euro Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/723.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/723.htmlThe 2016 Euro Summit convened under the timely theme Coping with Economic Backlash. Leading economists joined for a fascinating exchange on the eurozone outlook – and the lessons for policymaking from 40 years of recession recovery. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg, presented The 2016 Euro Plus Monitor, the much awaited annual update of the benchmark competitiveness ranking produced each year by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. This year, the Euro Plus Monitor expands to 28 countries, ranking them on a host of criteria. Later, Catherine L. Mann, chief economist and head of the economics department at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, launched a new OECD report on Strengthening Economic Resilience. Marco Buti, director-general for economic and financial affairs at the European Commission, led a fascinating breakout on European Commission priorities. John Peet, political editor at The Economist, discussed the economic outlook for 2017.

The 2016 Euro Summit convened under the timely theme Coping with Economic Backlash. Leading economists joined for a fascinating exchange on the eurozone outlook – and the lessons for policymaking from 40 years of recession recovery. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg, presented The 2016 Euro Plus Monitor, the much awaited annual update of the benchmark competitiveness ranking produced each year by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. This year, the Euro Plus Monitor expands to 28 countries, ranking them on a host of criteria. Later, Catherine L. Mann, chief economist and head of the economics department at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, launched a new OECD report on Strengthening Economic Resilience. Marco Buti, director-general for economic and financial affairs at the European Commission, led a fascinating breakout on European Commission priorities. John Peet, political editor at The Economist, discussed the economic outlook for 2017.

]]>News & EventsThu, 15 Dec 2016 10:58:52 +0000Free Movement of Data: A New Framework in the Digital Agehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/734.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/734.htmlIs it “the new oil,” the new “currency,” or just the vital new variable in the factors of production (labour + capital + data = economic growth)? At the end of the day, it’s data – the most important raw material for success in the age of advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. At this high-level working lunch on the Free Movement of Data: A New Framework for Europe in the Digital Age, senior policymakers and top experts discussed a new framework for making Europe a successful data economy. Kaspar Kala, adviser at the state information systems department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in Estonia, outlined the Estonian Government’s priorities and plans for their upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder, and David Osimo, chief policy analyst, at the Lisbon Council presented the main findings of their forthcoming study: Moving Europe into the Data Economy: A New Framework for Free Movement of Data in the Digital Age. The policy brief and wide-ranging debate will feed directly into the minister-level EU Presidency Conference on the Digital Single Market and the Free Movement of Data in Tallinn, Estonia.

Is it “the new oil,” the new “currency,” or just the vital new variable in the factors of production (labour + capital + data = economic growth)? At the end of the day, it’s data – the most important raw material for success in the age of advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. At this high-level working lunch on the Free Movement of Data: A New Framework for Europe in the Digital Age, senior policymakers and top experts discussed a new framework for making Europe a successful data economy. Kaspar Kala, adviser at the state information systems department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in Estonia, outlined the Estonian Government’s priorities and plans for their upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder, and David Osimo, chief policy analyst, at the Lisbon Council presented the main findings of their forthcoming study: Moving Europe into the Data Economy: A New Framework for Free Movement of Data in the Digital Age. The policy brief and wide-ranging debate will feed directly into the minister-level EU Presidency Conference on the Digital Single Market and the Free Movement of Data in Tallinn, Estonia.

]]>News & EventsFri, 26 May 2017 09:01:25 +0000Making eGovernment a Success: How the European Commission’s eGovernment Action Plan Can Improve Public Service and Deliver Resultshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/678.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/678.htmlAn eclectic group of high-level policymakers, top civil servants and digital reformers met at the High-Level Working Dinner on Making eGovernment a Success to discuss how the European Commission’s eGovernment Action Plan can improve public service and deliver results. Paul Timmers, director for digital society, trust and security at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, kicked off the discussion with a reflection on the Commission’s priorities with regards to eGovernment. Kaja Kallas, vice-chair of the delegation to the EU-Ukraine parliamentary association committee and member of the committee on industry, research and energy at the European Parliament, also joined the debate, which was intellectually informed by Government of the Future: How Digital Technology Will Change the Way We Live, Work and Govern, a European Digital Forum policy brief.An eclectic group of high-level policymakers, top civil servants and digital reformers met at the High-Level Working Dinner on Making eGovernment a Success to discuss how the European Commission’s eGovernment Action Plan can improve public service and deliver results. Paul Timmers, director for digital society, trust and security at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, kicked off the discussion with a reflection on the Commission’s priorities with regards to eGovernment. Kaja Kallas, vice-chair of the delegation to the EU-Ukraine parliamentary association committee and member of the committee on industry, research and energy at the European Parliament, also joined the debate, which was intellectually informed by Government of the Future: How Digital Technology Will Change the Way We Live, Work and Govern, a European Digital Forum policy brief.

An eclectic group of high-level policymakers, top civil servants and digital reformers met at the High-Level Working Dinner on Making eGovernment a Success to discuss how the European Commission’s eGovernment Action Plan can improve public service and deliver results. Paul Timmers, director for digital society, trust and security at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, kicked off the discussion with a reflection on the Commission’s priorities with regards to eGovernment. Kaja Kallas, vice-chair of the delegation to the EU-Ukraine parliamentary association committee and member of the committee on industry, research and energy at the European Parliament, also joined the debate, which was intellectually informed by Government of the Future: How Digital Technology Will Change the Way We Live, Work and Govern, a European Digital Forum policy brief.

]]>News & EventsFri, 04 Mar 2016 12:04:31 +0000Tomorrow’s Frontier for the App Economy: High-Level Working Dinner with Christopher Yoohttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/717.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/717.htmlA high-powered group of policymakers, think tankers and thought leaders met at the High-Level Working Dinner on the App Economy: Tomorrow’s Frontier to discuss two powerful conceptual paradigms that have fundamentally transformed the software industry – open source and modular platforms – and how to balance these forces to enable a stable market for apps and app development. Christopher Yoo, director of the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Competition at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, kicked off the discussion with a passionate, forward-looking presentation, highlighting findings of his newest paper Open Source, Modular Platforms and the Challenge of Fragmentation.

Greg Corrado, senior research scientist at Google and co-leader of Google’s large scale deep neural networks project, animated a fascinating discussion on the future of artificial intelligence at this High-Level Roundtable on the Opportunity and Challenge of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Christian D’Cunha, policy assistant to the European Data Protection Supervisor; Jen-Henrik Jeppesen, director of European affairs at the Centre for Democracy and Technology; Thibaut Kleiner, deputy head of cabinet of Günther Oettinger, European commissioner for digital economy and society; Dirk Staudenmayer, head of unit for contract law, directorate-general for justice and consumers at the European Commission; Vladimír Šucha, director-general of the Joint Research Centre; Pawel Swieboda, deputy head of the European Political Strategy Centre; Antonio Vicente, head of cabinet of Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for research, science and innovation and Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive of the European Policy Centre, joined a high-level group of innovators, industry practitioners, policymakers and think tankers for a wide-ranging discussion. The dialogue was intellectually informed by a discussion paper prepared by Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council.

The High-Level Roundtable on the Opportunity and Challenge of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning was part of the ongoing Industries of the Future initiative, a multi-disciplinary collaboration led by FTI Consulting, Google and the Lisbon Council.

Greg Corrado, senior research scientist at Google and co-leader of Google’s large scale deep neural networks project, animated a fascinating discussion on the future of artificial intelligence at this High-Level Roundtable on the Opportunity and Challenge of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Christian D’Cunha, policy assistant to the European Data Protection Supervisor; Jens-Henrik Jeppesen, director of European affairs at the Centre for Democracy and Technology; Thibaut Kleiner, deputy head of cabinet of Günther Oettinger, European commissioner for digital economy and society; Dirk Staudenmayer, head of unit for contract law, directorate-general for justice and consumers at the European Commission; Vladimír Šucha, director-general of the Joint Research Centre; Paweł Świeboda, deputy head of the European Political Strategy Centre; António Vicente, head of cabinet of Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for research, science and innovation and Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive of the European Policy Centre, joined a high-level group of innovators, industry practitioners, policymakers and think tankers for a wide-ranging discussion. The dialogue was intellectually informed by a discussion paper prepared by Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council.

The High-Level Roundtable on the Opportunity and Challenge of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning was part of the ongoing Industries of the Future initiative, a multi-disciplinary collaboration led by FTI Consulting, Google and the Lisbon Council.

The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Media in the Digital Age: Innovation and New Business Models, shedding light on the changing economic landscape in the news-gathering business. Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice-president for the digital single market, discussed key priorities – and next steps on the digital single market. Thomas Lindner, Vorsitzender of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, brought a publisher’s perspective to the discussion; how can old businesses become new, and how can technology best be used to strengthen the vital task of news gathering and distribution in the age of the Internet? And Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, research director at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, shared unique insights and evidence on the future of media consumption and innovative business models in publishing.

The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Media in the Digital Age: Innovation and New Business Models, shedding light on the changing economic landscape in the news-gathering business. Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice-president for the digital single market, discussed key priorities – and next steps on the digital single market. Thomas Lindner, Vorsitzender of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, brought a publisher’s perspective to the discussion; how can old businesses become new, and how can technology best be used to strengthen the vital task of news gathering and distribution in the age of the Internet? And Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, research director at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, shared unique insights and evidence on the future of media consumption and innovative business models in publishing.

]]>News & EventsMon, 14 Mar 2016 12:48:30 +0000Innovation Imperative: Public Sector Administration in the Digital Agehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/703.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/703.htmlThe Innovation Imperative: Public-Sector Administration in the Digital Age gathered an eclectic and high-powered group of key policymakers, prominent thought leaders and senior representatives from European public-sector agencies to take stock of public sector innovation. Maarten Camps, secretary-general of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and chair of the High-Level Group on Competitiveness and Growth of the Competitiveness Council, delivered an inspiring and insightful speech on the ambitions and challenges for the public sector and, more broadly, for the digital single market. Robert Madelin, senior adviser for innovation at the European Commission and chair of the High-Level Jury that evaluated the College of Europe student state transformation case studies, gave introductory remarks. Olivier Costa, professor and director of the European political and administrative studies at the College of Europe; Alexandra Paul, associate manager at Accenture; and Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, also intervened. In addition, 12 College of Europe students presented the results of their case studies, whose agencies were chosen among the winners of the European Prize for Innovation in Public Administration (PIPA Prize), awarded by the European Commission’s directorate-general for research and innovation. The winning team – working with the Northern Netherlands Provinces – was awarded The 2016 Public Sector Innovation Award. The event was hosted by the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union as part of the spring 2016 Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Innovation Imperative: Public-Sector Administration in the Digital Age gathered an eclectic and high-powered group of key policymakers, prominent thought leaders and senior representatives from European public-sector agencies to take stock of public sector innovation. Maarten Camps, secretary-general of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and chair of the High-Level Group on Competitiveness and Growth of the Competitiveness Council, delivered an inspiring and insightful speech on the ambitions and challenges for the public sector and, more broadly, for the digital single market. Robert Madelin, senior adviser for innovation at the European Commission and chair of the High-Level Jury that evaluated the College of Europe student state transformation case studies, gave introductory remarks. Olivier Costa, professor and director of the European political and administrative studies at the College of Europe; Alexandra Paul, associate manager at Accenture; and Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, also intervened. In addition, 12 College of Europe students presented the results of their case studies, whose agencies were chosen among the winners of the European Prize for Innovation in Public Administration (PIPA Prize), awarded by the European Commission’s directorate-general for research and innovation. The winning team – working with the Northern Netherlands Provinces – was awarded The 2016 Public Sector Innovation Award. The event was hosted by the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union as part of the spring 2016 Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

]]>News & EventsWed, 15 Jun 2016 07:37:50 +0000Financial Services in the Cloud Computing Agehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/733.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/733.htmlPolicymakers, cloud providers, management consultants and leading financial market service suppliers convened at the European Digital Forum for the High-Level Roundtable on Financial Services in the Digital Age under the timely theme How Cloud Computing Will Raise Competitiveness and Drive Innovation. Peter Kerstens, co-chair of the fintech taskforce at the European Commission’s DG financial stability, financial services and capital markets union, and Pierre Chastanet, deputy head of unit for cloud and software at the European Commission’s DG communications networks, content and technology, briefed participants on the European Commission’s plans and priorities in this key field, and led high-level breakout sessions. Oscar Pinto, deputy head for cloud, architecture and global deployment, engineering at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA); Julien Blanchez, global security and compliance strategist, at Google; Tom Deprins, global security manager for cloud services at KBC Group; Brit Hecht, senior policy adviser for digital regulation at BBVA; Cyril Maman, group cloud architect at Société Générale; John Midgley, senior manager for public policy at Amazon Web Services; Frederik Nevejan, legal counsel for information technology and procurement at ING; and Emmanuel Sardet, technology advisory and cloud global lead at Accenture, also joined the rich and wide-ranging discussions. The discussion will feed directly into the European Commission’s consultation on Fintech: a More Competitive and Innovative Financial Sector. The European Digital Forum, a multidisciplinary research hub and policy network, is co-managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta.]]>News & EventsFri, 28 Apr 2017 09:00:45 +0000Building a Transatlantic Digital Marketplace: Twenty Steps to 2020https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/688.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/688.html

The digital economy offers Europe and the United States significant opportunities for future economic growth. Yet digital issues are also the source of strong transatlantic discord. Against this backdrop, the Atlantic Council, a leading, Washington, DC-based think tank, convened a High-Level Task Force led by Carl Bildt, former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden and chair of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and William E. Kennard, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, to examine the nature of these digital policy disagreements and identity recommendations for addressing them. The result was Building a Transatlantic Digital Marketplace: Twenty Steps to 2020, a hard-hitting report launched in Brussels at the Lisbon Council, where President Paul Hofheinz served as a task force member. In powerful interventions, Tyson Barker, rapporteur for the study and Atlantic Council fellow; Frances Burwell, vice-president, European Union and special initiatives, Atlantic Council; Co-Chair Carl Bildt, Linda Corugedo Steneberg, principal advisor to director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission; Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council and task force member; Kaja Kallas, member of the European Parliament (ALDE-Estonia) and co-rapporteur for the digital single market; and Adina-Ioana Vălean, vice-president of the European Parliament (EPP-Romania), joined a high-level audience to discuss and debate the report’s 20 recommendations.

Download Building a Transatlantic Digital Marketplace: Twenty Steps to 2020

The digital economy offers Europe and the United States significant opportunities for future economic growth. Yet digital issues are also the source of strong transatlantic discord. Against this backdrop, the Atlantic Council, a leading, Washington, DC-based think tank, convened a High-Level Task Force led by Carl Bildt, former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden and chair of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and William E. Kennard, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, to examine the nature of these digital policy disagreements and identity recommendations for addressing them. The result was Building a Transatlantic Digital Marketplace: Twenty Steps to 2020, a hard-hitting report launched in Brussels at the Lisbon Council, where President Paul Hofheinz served as a task force member. In powerful interventions, Tyson Barker, rapporteur for the study and Atlantic Council fellow; Frances Burwell, vice-president, European Union and special initiatives, Atlantic Council; Co-Chair Carl Bildt, Linda Corugedo Steneberg, principal advisor to director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission; Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council and task force member; Kaja Kallas, member of the European Parliament (ALDE-Estonia) and co-rapporteur for the digital single market; and Adina-Ioana Vălean, vice-president of the European Parliament (EPP-Romania), joined a high-level audience to discuss and debate the report’s 20 recommendations.

]]>News & EventsTue, 05 Apr 2016 14:18:17 +0000Travis Kalanick Keynotes Urban Mobility Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/691.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/691.htmlTravis Kalanick, CEO and co-founder of Uber Technologies Inc., delivered a fascinating keynote on novel ways to move people around cities at the High-Level Summit on ‘Ride-Share’ Revolution: How Technology Will Help Move People, Raise Productivity, Cut Emissions and Save Cities. The summit brought an eclectic group of entrepreneurs, regulators and thought leaders together to investigate how innovative transportation models based on new technologies can help solving the challenges of urban mobility. Henrik Hololei, director-general for mobility and transport at the European Commission; Kaja Kallas, member of the committee on industry, research and industry at the European Parliament, and José Manuel Viegas, secretary-general of the International Transport Forum at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, joined the high-level panel.

]]>News & EventsMon, 23 May 2016 15:08:52 +0000Carlos Moedas Keynotes The 2016 Innovation Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/680.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/680.htmlAt The 2016 Innovation Summit, Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for research, science and innovation, launched Science, Research and Innovation Performance of the European Union 2016: A Contribution to Open Science, Open Innovation and the Open to the World Agenda, a flagship DG-Research study (formerly the Innovation Union Competitiveness Report), that looks at the performance of European countries in research and innovation and provides clear policy insights into the road ahead. Mark Spelman, leader of the future of the Internet project at the World Economic Forum; Dirk Pilat, deputy director for science, technology and innovation at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Frank Treppe, director for corporate strategy and international affairs at Fraunhofer Gesellschaft in Germany and vice-president of the European Association of Research and Technology Organisation (EARTO); and Reinhilde Veugelers, professor of managerial economics, strategy and innovation at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and senior fellow at Bruegel, led an all-star panel on the complex relationship between productivity, economic growth and scientific excellence. Commissioner Moedas closed the discussion by highlighting the increasing role of the “three O’s” in European innovation policy: open science, open innovation and open to the world.

]]>News & EventsThu, 10 Mar 2016 15:29:21 +0000Digital News and Innovation: A High-Level Roundtablehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/715.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/715.htmlIndustry practitioners, innovators, policymakers, think tankers and thought leaders gathered for a wide-ranging discussion on Media and Publishers Online: United in Diversity at this high-level working lunch. Ludovic Blecher, head of Google’s Digital News Innovation Fund; Therese Comodini Cachia, member of the committee on legal affairs in the European Parliament and rapporteur for the directive on copyright in the digital single market; Jörgen Gren, member of cabinet responsible for content and innovation for Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice-president for the digital single market; Duncan Hooper, editor-in-chief, digital platforms at Euronews and Boris van Hoytema, managing director of New Atoms, a content-based Dutch innovation startup, kicked off the debate, which touched on key issues in the digital-media sector. How do we finance and distribute good, quality journalism, using the tools of technology to disseminate better journalism? How do we ensure innovation stays at the cutting-edge, using the new tools of technology to ensure a better user experience and a stronger journalism sector underpinning our democracy. The discussion was fed by a “Key Issues Paper: Digital News and Innovation” prepared by the Lisbon Council (you can download it at the link below). The session was the first of a series to be hosted by Industries of the Future, a new multi-disciplinary collaboration on one of the key questions of our time: how will digital technology transform and revitalise industry itself, bringing new models to the fore and posing new challenges for policymakers and society alike? In a multi-stakeholder environment informed by an advanced think tank perspective, participants examine the opportunities and dilemmas of tomorrow – and the steps we should be taking today. The initiative is led by FTI Consulting, Google and the Lisbon Council.

Industry practitioners, innovators, policymakers, think tankers and thought leaders gathered for a wide-ranging discussion on Media and Publishers Online: United in Diversity at this high-level working lunch. Ludovic Blecher, head of Google’s Digital News Innovation Fund; Therese Comodini Cachia, member of the committee on legal affairs in the European Parliament and rapporteur for the directive on copyright in the digital single market; Jörgen Gren, member of cabinet responsible for content and innovation for Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice-president for the digital single market; Duncan Hooper, editor-in-chief, digital platforms at Euronews and Boris van Hoytema, managing director of New Atoms, a content-based Dutch innovation startup, kicked off the debate, which touched on key issues in the digital-media sector. How do we finance and distribute good, quality journalism, using the tools of technology to disseminate better journalism? How do we ensure innovation stays at the cutting-edge, using the new tools of technology to ensure a better user experience and a stronger journalism sector underpinning our democracy. The discussion was fed by a “Key Issues Paper: Digital News and Innovation” prepared by the Lisbon Council (you can download it at the link below). The session was the first of a series to be hosted by Industries of the Future, a new multi-disciplinary collaboration on one of the key questions of our time: how will digital technology transform and revitalise industry itself, bringing new models to the fore and posing new challenges for policymakers and society alike? In a multi-stakeholder environment informed by an advanced think tank perspective, participants examine the opportunities and dilemmas of tomorrow – and the steps we should be taking today. The initiative is led by FTI Consulting, Google and the Lisbon Council.

Download Background Note: Digital News and Innovation

Watch “Jeers and Cheers Against Newspaper Closure” and other stories on Euronews rendered with innovative VR/360° technology

]]>News & EventsWed, 19 Oct 2016 08:33:20 +0000Financial Services in the Age of the Internethttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/674.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/674.htmlThe European Digital Forum convened the High-Level Roundtable on Financial Services in the Age of the Internet. Policymakers, expert researchers, stakeholders and industry participants debated and discussed the way digital technology will revolutionise the provisioning of financial services, providing unique challenges and opportunities for consumers, market participants and regulators alike. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council, moderated and delivered opening remarks. Sergey Filippov, associate director of the Lisbon Council and author of Financial Services in the Digital Age, a European Digital Forum policy brief; David Rutter, founder and CEO of R3 CEV, a fast-growing cryptofinance, exchanges and venture group; and Álvaro Martín, head economist of digital regulation at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Research, kicked off the discussion with fascinating keynotes. Sébastien de Brouwer, executive director for retail, legal, economic and social policy at the European Banking Federation; Clive Cooke, director of global alliances at R3 CEV; Thierry Derungs, wealth management chief digital officer and head of digital solutions at BNP Paribas; Fernand Dimidschstein, managing director for FinTech innovation Europe, Africa, Latin America at Accenture; Gerrit de Graaf, director for digital economy and co-ordination at the European Commission’s DG for communications networks, content and technology; Katarzyna Hanula-Bobbitt, senior public affairs officer at Finance Watch; Leanne Kemp, CEO and founder of Everledger, a startup that tracks and registers diamonds through a distributed ledger; Katharina Lüth, head of Europe at SavingGlobal Raisin, a fast-growing crossborder financial-services platform; Mario Nava, director for regulation and prudential supervision of financial institutions at the European Commission’s DG for financial stability, financial services and capital markets union (DG-FISMA); Tomas Peeters, chief strategy officer at ING-DiBa and chief operations officer at ING Bank Germany; Mirjam Plooij, policy adviser for cash and payment systems and retail payments policy at De Nederlandsche Bank; Olivier Salles, head of unit for retail financial services and payments at DG-FISMA; and Julian Wilson, vice-president for operations and technology, digital and mobile at Barclays, presented an array of ideas on the digitisation of retail financial services and discussed the interplay between the European Union’s digital single market strategy and emerging action in the area of retail financial services. The European Digital Forum, a multidisciplinary research hub and policy network, is co-managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta.]]>News & EventsWed, 03 Feb 2016 15:34:40 +0000The Euro Plus Monitor Spring 2016 Update https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/690.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/690.htmlThe Lisbon Council and Berenberg jointly release The Euro Plus Monitor Spring 2016 Update, the latest installment of the bi-annual competitiveness ranking of 18 eurozone countries (plus Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom). Subtitled “Economic Progress Amid Rising Political Risk,” the report was launched at a high-level summit in the presence of Valdis Dombrovskis, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the euro and social dialogue.

Europe has no shortage of entrepreneurs and good ideas. The question is, how do we translate that into cutting-edge businesses capable of creating more jobs, developing new products, internationalising from day one and conquering markets with their spirit and ingenuity? We thought, “why not ask the best?” The European Digital Forum convened European Startup Ecosystem Day at CeBIT 2016, the global event for digital business, with a high-level, highly interactive session bringing European “unicorns,” top entrepreneurs, leading policymakers, venture capitalists and key startup associations together for a no-holds-barred discussion on developing the right framework conditions for startups to succeed. The session was intellectually informed by the Startup Manifesto Policy Tracker Scoreboard, a ranking of European countries by progress on implementing the Startup Manifesto in their home country (the study was prepared and crowdsourced by Startup Manifesto Crowdsourcing Community, a team of 33 leading experts in 28 EU member states). European Commissioner Günther Oettinger keynoted and laid down a challenge: “Tell me what I need to do, and together we will do it.” Philipp Kreibohm, managing director and co-founder of Home24 (a German “unicorn” founded in 2012 and now valued at more than €1 billion) and Rubin Ritter, co-CEO of Zalando (Germany’s wildly successful online clothing store, started in 2008, with €3 billion of sales in 2015) joined a high-level CEO panel including Karen Boers, president of the European Startup Network and co-founder of Startups.be, and Andreea Wade, CEO and co-founder of Opening.io. Later, in a highly interactive workshop, leading entrepreneurs, startup associations and authors of national startup manifestos met to discuss the key challenges facing entrepreneurs in 2016 – and the path to better roadmaps and policy recommendations. David Osimo, director and co-founder of Open Evidence and principal author of The 2016 Startup Nation Scoreboard, discussed the potential and challenges of crowdsourcing policy and policymaking.

Europe has no shortage of entrepreneurs and good ideas. The question is, how do we translate that into cutting-edge businesses capable of creating more jobs, developing new products, internationalising from day one and conquering markets with their spirit and ingenuity? We thought, “why not ask the best?” The European Digital Forum convened European Startup Ecosystem Day at CeBIT 2016, the global event for digital business, with a high-level, highly interactive session bringing European “unicorns,” top entrepreneurs, leading policymakers, venture capitalists and key startup associations together for a no-holds-barred discussion on developing the right framework conditions for startups to succeed. The session was intellectually informed by The 2016 Startup Nation Scoreboard, a ranking of European countries by progress on implementing the Startup Manifesto in their home country (the study was prepared and crowdsourced by Startup Manifesto Crowdsourcing Community, a team of 33 leading experts in 28 EU member states). European Commissioner Günther Oettinger keynoted and laid down a challenge: “Tell me what I need to do, and together we will do it.” Philipp Kreibohm, managing director and co-founder of Home24 (a German “unicorn” founded in 2012 and now valued at more than €1 billion) and Rubin Ritter, co-CEO of Zalando (Germany’s wildly successful online clothing store, started in 2008, with €3 billion of sales in 2015) joined a high-level CEO panel including Karen Boers, president of the European Startup Network and co-founder of Startups.be, and Andreea Wade, CEO and co-founder of Opening.io. Later, in a highly interactive workshop, leading entrepreneurs, startup associations and authors of national startup manifestos met to discuss the key challenges facing entrepreneurs in 2016 – and the path to better roadmaps and policy recommendations. David Osimo, director and co-founder of Open Evidence and principal author of The 2016 Startup Nation Scoreboard, discussed the potential and challenges of crowdsourcing policy and policymaking.

Julie Brill, commissioner at the United States Federal Trade Commission, and Bruno Gencarelli, head of unit for data protection at the European Commission’s DG justice and consumers, discussed the state of ongoing talks for a new Safe Harbour agreement, the likelihood of a deal later this year, the importance of data trade for transatlantic prosperity and the need for privacy standards that evoke respect and confidence from citizens at large. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council moderated and delivered opening remarks, and Will Marshall, president and founder of Progressive Policy Institute, offered the conclusion. The roundtable took place as part of the thriving transatlantic think tank dialogue established three years ago by the Lisbon Council and Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, with the aim to reinvigorate the transatlantic digital agenda and intellectually inform the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.

Julie Brill, commissioner at the United States Federal Trade Commission, and Bruno Gencarelli, head of unit for data protection at the European Commission’s DG justice and consumers, discussed the state of ongoing talks for a new Safe Harbour agreement, the likelihood of a deal later this year, the importance of data trade for transatlantic prosperity and the need for privacy standards that evoke respect and confidence from citizens at large. Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council moderated and delivered opening remarks, and Will Marshall, president and founder of Progressive Policy Institute, offered the conclusion. The roundtable took place as part of the thriving transatlantic think tank dialogue established three years ago by the Lisbon Council and Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, with the aim to reinvigorate the transatlantic digital agenda and intellectually inform the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.

The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘All Day, Everywhere’ How Mobile Computing and Service-Driven Apps Will Drive Growth and Spur Innovation. An eclectic group of app developers, policymakers and social scientists met to discuss the emerging role of apps in the European economy – and the policy framework it will take to thrive. Brian Williamson, partner at Communications Chambers, presented the key findings of A Policy Toolkit for the App Economy – Where Online Meets Offline, a new Plum Consulting study launched at the High-Level Roundtable. Thomas Hauk, head of business development at Mimi Hearing Technologies; Kaja Kallas, MEP and member of the industry, research and energy committee at the European Parliament; Robert Madelin, senior adviser for innovation at the European Commission; Christopher Moser, director of iTunes Europe at Apple; and Eva Paunova, MEP and member of the internal market and consumer protection committee at the European Parliament, discussed the key challenges for policymakers in dealing with the spread of mobile computing and its effects on society at large.

The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘All Day, Everywhere’ How Mobile Computing and Service-Driven Apps Will Drive Growth and Spur Innovation. An eclectic group of app developers, policymakers and social scientists met to discuss the emerging role of apps in the European economy – and the policy framework it will take to thrive. Brian Williamson, partner at Communications Chambers, presented the key findings of A Policy Toolkit for the App Economy – Where Online Meets Offline, a new Plum Consulting study launched at the High-Level Roundtable. Thomas Hauk, head of business development at Mimi Hearing Technologies; Kaja Kallas, MEP and member of the industry, research and energy committee at the European Parliament; Robert Madelin, senior adviser for innovation at the European Commission; Christopher Moser, director of iTunes Europe at Apple; and Eva Paunova, MEP and member of the internal market and consumer protection committee at the European Parliament, discussed the key challenges for policymakers in dealing with the spread of mobile computing and its effects on society at large.

]]>News & EventsWed, 06 Apr 2016 12:29:51 +0000Growing the Digital Economy > A Transatlantic Viewhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/633.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/633.htmlThe Lisbon Council welcomed Catherine A. Novelli, senior co-ordinator for international information technology diplomacy and under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment of the United States (Department of State) for a High-Level Roundtable on Transatlantic Views on the Digital Economy and the Future of Internet Governance. Ms Novelli delivered an energising keynote on the importance of the transatlantic digital relationship and set out a four-point agenda for driving growth and creating jobs through a better regulated global Internet – flexible interoperable standards, efficient data flows, expanded high-speed Internet access and Internet-friendly trade agreements. Robert Madelin, director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission, offered a European perspective.

The European Digital Forum, an inter-disciplinary research hub co-managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, took centre stage at ICT 2015: innovate, Connect, Transform in Lisbon on 20-22 October 2015. ICT 2015 is the European Union’s flagship digital conference that united 7,000 innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, corporate leaders, private investors, regional and national policymakers and digital-era luminaries from throughout Europe for intense policy debates, stimulating keynotes, dynamic new research and high-level networking. This year, the European Digital Forum was proud to co-host the Startup Europe Forum, an intellectually vibrant parallel track of unprecedented discussions and debates took place inside of the conference. Günther Oettinger, European commissioner for digital economy and society, kicked off the opening plenary of the Startup Europe Forum with a “hard talk,” led by Politico’s Zoya Sheftalovich and Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council and director of the European Digital Forum. Later, Brigitte Baumann, founder and CEO of GoBeyond and president emeritus of the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players (EBAN); Marie Ekeland, co-president of France Digitale; Nikita Fahrenholz, co-founder and CEO of Book a Tiger and co-founder of Delivery Hero, one of four German “unicorns;” Inês Henriques, CEO of Ynvisible; Miguel Leitmann, senior vice-president of Vision Box; António Murta, co-founder and managing partner of Pathena and digital champion of Portugal; Carlos Torres Vila, president and chief operating officer of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA); Matthias Ummenhofer, founder and managing director of mojo.capital; and Linnar Viik, co-founder of Pocopay and associate professor at Estonian Information Technology College, took the stage to discuss how Europe can become a better place to start and scale up. Next day, the European Digital Forum convened a session entitled Startup Manifesto Movement: Driving Change Throughout Europe. The session explored the recent success and future prospects of the “startup manifesto movement,” a grassroots development, led by entrepreneurs, to raise the voice of startups and build more effective eco-systems in the European Union’s 28 member states. The co-authors of all 10 national startup manifestos were on hand to discuss the secrets of their success – and the challenges that remain. Carmen Bermejo, CEO of Tetuan Valley and co-author of the Spain Startup Manifesto; Karen Boers, co-founder and managing director of startups.be and co-author of the Belgium Startup Manifesto; Dimitris Drakoulis, president of the Greek association of computer engineers and co-author of the Greece Startup Manifesto; Przemysław Grzywa, vice-president of Youth Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice and co-author of the Poland Startup Manifesto; Nils-Erik Jansson, president of Young Entrepreneurs of Sweden and co-author of the Sweden Startup Manifesto; Stavriana Kofteros, special entrepreneurship and development adviser of Democratic Rally in Cyprus and co-author of the Cyprus Startup Manifesto; Eliza Kruczkowska, president of Startup Poland and co-author of the Startup Poland Manifesto; Guy Levin, executive director of Coadec and co-author of the United Kingdom Startup Manifesto; Miroslav Rebernik, professor at the University of Maribor and co-author of the Slovenia Startup Manifesto; and Bastiaan Zwanenburg, managing director of Young Creators and co-author of the Netherlands Startup Manifesto, joined the debate. Peter Balík, director of the department for innovation and digital economy at the Slovak ministry of economy joined as special guest. The European Digital Forum used the occasion to launch the Startup Manifesto Policy Tracker, a new online tool for tracking startup-friendly reform in EU member states. Later in the day, the European Digital Forum launched the European Digital City Index, a ground-breaking interactive tool that provides compelling evidence of how well different European cities are prepared to support digital entrepreneurship and ranks their digital readiness. Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta, co-manager of the European Digital Forum, presented this fascinating new research – and offered a tour d’horizon on making Europe a more cohesive society and a better place to do business. On the third day of the ICT2015 conference, Sherry Coutu, serial entrepreneur, business angel and author of the highly influential Scale-Up Report, discussed the challenge and opportunity of “scaling up” businesses – and proposed at 12-point plan for making Europe a better place to develop healthy, prosperous companies.

The European Digital Forum, an inter-disciplinary research hub co-managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, took centre stage at ICT 2015: Innovate, Connect, Transform in Lisbon on 20-22 October 2015. ICT 2015 is the European Union’s flagship digital conference that united 7,000 innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, corporate leaders, private investors, regional and national policymakers and digital-era luminaries from throughout Europe for intense policy debates, stimulating keynotes, dynamic new research and high-level networking. This year, the European Digital Forum was proud to co-host the Startup Europe Forum, an intellectually vibrant parallel track of unprecedented discussions and debates that took place inside of the conference. Günther Oettinger, European commissioner for digital economy and society, kicked off the opening plenary of the Startup Europe Forum with a “hard talk,” led by Politico’s Zoya Sheftalovich and Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council and director of the European Digital Forum. Later, Brigitte Baumann, founder and CEO of GoBeyond and president emeritus of the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players (EBAN); Marie Ekeland, co-president of France Digitale; Nikita Fahrenholz, co-founder and CEO of Book a Tiger and co-founder of Delivery Hero, one of four German “unicorns;” Inês Henriques, CEO of Ynvisible; Miguel Leitmann, senior vice-president of Vision Box; António Murta, co-founder and managing partner of Pathena and digital champion of Portugal; Carlos Torres Vila, president and chief operating officer of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA); Matthias Ummenhofer, founder and managing director of mojo.capital; and Linnar Viik, co-founder of Pocopay and associate professor at Estonian Information Technology College, took the stage to discuss how Europe can become a better place to start and scale up. Next day, the European Digital Forum convened a session entitled Startup Manifesto Movement: Driving Change Throughout Europe. The session explored the recent success and future prospects of the “startup manifesto movement,” a grassroots development, led by entrepreneurs, to raise the voice of startups and build more effective eco-systems in the European Union’s 28 member states. The co-authors of all 10 national startup manifestos were on hand to discuss the secrets of their success – and the challenges that remain. Carmen Bermejo, CEO of Tetuan Valley and co-author of the Spain Startup Manifesto; Karen Boers, co-founder and managing director of startups.be and co-author of the Belgium Startup Manifesto; Dimitris Drakoulis, president of the Greek association of computer engineers and co-author of the Greece Startup Manifesto; Przemysław Grzywa, vice-president of Youth Forum at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice and co-author of the Poland Startup Manifesto; Nils-Erik Jansson, president of Young Entrepreneurs of Sweden and co-author of the Sweden Startup Manifesto; Stavriana Kofteros, special entrepreneurship and development adviser of Democratic Rally in Cyprus and co-author of the Cyprus Startup Manifesto; Eliza Kruczkowska, president of Startup Poland and co-author of the Startup Poland Manifesto; Guy Levin, executive director of Coadec and co-author of the United Kingdom Startup Manifesto; Miroslav Rebernik, professor at the University of Maribor and co-author of the Slovenia Startup Manifesto; and Bastiaan Zwanenburg, managing director of Young Creators and co-author of the Netherlands Startup Manifesto, joined the debate. Peter Balík, director of the department for innovation and digital economy at the Slovak ministry of economy joined as special guest. The European Digital Forum used the occasion to launch the Startup Manifesto Policy Tracker, a new online tool for tracking startup-friendly reform in EU member states. Later in the day, the European Digital Forum launched the European Digital City Index, a ground-breaking interactive tool that provides compelling evidence of how well different European cities are prepared to support digital entrepreneurship and ranks their digital readiness. Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta, co-manager of the European Digital Forum, presented this fascinating new research – and offered a tour d’horizon on making Europe a more cohesive society and a better place to do business. On the third day of the ICT2015 conference, Sherry Coutu, serial entrepreneur, business angel and author of the highly influential Scale-Up Report, discussed the challenge and opportunity of “scaling up” businesses – and proposed at 12-point plan for making Europe a better place to develop healthy, prosperous companies.

]]>News & EventsTue, 27 Oct 2015 12:59:25 +0000Andrus Ansip Keynotes The 2015 European Digital Forumhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/632.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/632.htmlThe 2015 European Digital Forum convened under the timely theme How the Digital Single Market Will Power a European Renaissance – and What We Need to Do About It Today. Andrus Ansip, vice-president of the European Commission for the digital single market, delivered The 2015 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture and laid out his vision of a European renaissance fuelled by dramatic leaps in the digital single market before an eclectic audience of leading European thinkers, regulators, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and Internet aficionados. He listened to the debate animated by leading thinkers and practitioners and offered concluding remarks based on what he heard. Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta, co-manager with the Lisbon Council of the European Digital Forum, set the scene with a sprightly overview of Europe’s digital challenge –and potential. Later, Bart Becks, CEO and founder of angel.me, a Belgium-based crowdfunding platform and former CEO of Belgacom Skynet SA; Bernard Le Masson, managing director for public service at Accenture Strategy; Ana Segurado Escudero, CEO of Telefónica’s Open Future; and Javier Arias, head European Union representative of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) shared their perspectives on how European digitally-led entrepreneurship can boost the digital economy. Earlier in the day, the Forum opened with a High-Level Working Lunch on Making the Investment Plan and the European Strategic Investment Fund a Success. Marjut Santoni, deputy chief executive of the European Investment Fund, presented an array of ideas on how to make European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s €315 billion Investment Plan a success. Miguel Gil-Tertre, member of the cabinet of Jyrki Katainen, vice-president of the European Commission for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness, served as discussant. Nikita Fahrenholz, CEO and co-founder of Book a Tiger; Daniel Glasner, founder of Quandoo and CRES Internet; Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City UK; Hervé Le Jouan, CEO and founder of Privowny; Guy Levin, executive director of The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec); and others also intervened in a rich and fascinating debate on how smart policy choices coupled with targeted investment can empower Europe’s tech and web entrepreneurs. The 2015 European Digital Forum is the flagship annual summit of the European Digital Forum, a think tank managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, and dedicated to web entrepreneurship and the digital economy.

Two weeks before the UNFCCC meeting in Paris, the Lisbon Council hosted the High-Level Roundtable on Lessons Learned of European Leadership in Climate Policy – and How They Are Relevant for an Ambitious COP21 Deal. Maroš Šefčovič, vice-president of the European Commission for the energy union, laid out the European Union’s position for an ambitious new global climate change agreement and his vision for a climate-friendly energy union. Jos Delbeke, director-general for climate action at the European Commission, and Peter Vis, former head of cabinet to European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, presented EU Climate Policy Explained, a fascinating new book they co-authored. The book takes an insightful look at the lessons learnt of two decades of European Union climate-change fighting policies.

Two weeks before the UNFCCC meeting in Paris, the Lisbon Council hosted the High-Level Roundtable on Lessons Learned of European Leadership in Climate Policy – and How They Are Relevant for an Ambitious COP21 Deal. Maroš Šefčovič, vice-president of the European Commission for the energy union, laid out the European Union’s position for an ambitious new global climate change agreement and his vision for a climate-friendly energy union. Jos Delbeke, director-general for climate action at the European Commission, and Peter Vis, former head of cabinet to European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, presented EU Climate Policy Explained, a fascinating new book they co-authored. The book takes an insightful look at the lessons learnt of two decades of European Union climate-change fighting policies.

]]>News & EventsTue, 17 Nov 2015 14:13:25 +0000Data-Driven Innovation for Growth and Wellbeinghttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/658.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/658.htmlAt a time when Europe debates the reform of its data protection rules, the Lisbon Council hosted the global launch of Data-Driven Innovation: Big Data for Growth and Wellbeing, a timely new book by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Andrew W. Wyckoff, director for science, technology and innovation at OECD, presented the main findings of the book and was joined by his colleagues and co-authors of the study, Anne Carblanc, head of the digital economy policy division and Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze, information economist and policy economic analyst. Roberto Viola, director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission, offered a European perspective. The book presents ground-breaking new evidence of the potential of data-driven innovation to improve social wellbeing, enhance productivity and raise economic competitiveness and will feed directly into the OECD Digital Economy Ministerial due to convene in Cancún, Mexico in June 2016.

]]>News & EventsTue, 06 Oct 2015 15:05:00 +0000App Economy and the Mobile Internet > the Next Frontiershttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/614.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/614.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on New Frontiers for the App Economy and Mobile Internet: Creating Value and Improving Lives in Europe. An eclectic group of app developers, researchers, policymakers and experts discussed the coming changes in economic and social life brought on by the proliferation of apps, tablets and wearable devices. Robert Madelin, director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission, delivered a forward-looking keynote and outlined the European Commission’s strategy for the app economy and mobile Internet. Kaja Kallas, member of the industry, research and energy committee in the European Parliament, shared insightful views and her experience as an Estonian citizen, highlighting the power of trust and transparency for citizens to embrace digital. Brian Williamson, partner at Plum Consulting, presented the key findings of All About That App, a new study launched at the High-Level Roundtable. Daniel Beutler, chief operating officer of Capitaine Train, an innovative app that helps travellers plan and book pan-EU journeys, shared his experience as an app developer based in Europe and explained how the app economy will help improve the lives of the millions.

]]>News & EventsWed, 18 Mar 2015 12:22:32 +0000The 2015 Energy Union Summit https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/601.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/601.htmlOne week before the European Commission finalises its strategic energy union plans, The 2015 Energy Union Summit brought together top leaders from the European Commission and the United Nations under the timely theme Strengthening the ‘Five Pillars’: Security, the Internal Market, Efficiency, Renewables and Research & Development. Miguel Arias Cañete, European commissioner for climate action and energy, opened the summit with an energising keynote on the European Commission’s energy union strategy. Later, Dr Kandeh K. Yumkella, United Nations under secretary-general and special representative of the United Nations’ Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, delivered The 2015 Jean-Jacques Rousseau Lecture and addressed the energy efficiency issue from the UN’s global perspective. The debate was intellectually informed by The 2015 Energy Productivity and Economic Prosperity Index: How Efficiency Will Drive Growth, Create Jobs and Spread Wellbeing Throughout Society, a new policy brief, which shows how Europe could double its current level of energy efficiency by deploying existing technology more ambitiously. Co-Authors, Paul Hofheinz, president and executive director of the Lisbon Council, and Prof Dr Kornelis Blok, director of science at Ecofys, presented the key findings of this timely report, while Harry Verhaar, head of global public and government affairs at Philips Lighting, co-founder of the Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform and chair of the European Alliance to Save Energy, served as discussant.

]]>News & EventsTue, 17 Feb 2015 13:07:36 +0000Driving the Hidden Value of Digital Tradehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/642.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/642.htmlTwo leading think tanks – the Progressive Policy Institute from Washington, DC and the Lisbon Council from Brussels – convened the High-Level Roundtable on Driving the Hidden Value of Digital Trade. At their fourth transatlantic summit – convened as part of PPI and the Lisbon Council’s ongoing think tank dialogue, created to accompany negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – the two organisations used the occasion to launch Uncovering the Hidden Value of Digital Trade: Towards a 21st Century Agenda of Transatlantic Prosperity, a new policy brief by Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council, and Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist of PPI. Later, Elena Bryan, senior trade representative at the U.S. Mission to the European Union; Nele Eichhorn, member of cabinet of Cecilia Malmström, European commissioner for trade; as well as three Members of the European Parliament actively engaged with transatlantic trade issues – Daniel Dalton (ECR-United Kingdom); Jeppe Kofod (S&D-Denmark) and Alessia Mosca (S&D-Italy) – joined Andrew W. Wyckoff, director for science, technology and innovation at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for a high-level panel on the implications for the emerging trade agreement and the framework that will guide economic life in both regions.

]]>News & EventsThu, 02 Jul 2015 13:08:53 +0000Leveraging Technology for Economic Vitality: How Data Analytics Will Drive Growthhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/644.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/644.htmlAn eclectic group of high-level policymakers, economists and think tankers met at the High-Level Working Dinner on How Data Analytics Will Drive Growth, the latest meeting of the Zukunftssalon: Forum for the Future, a platform for debate on contemporary issues, hosted by the Lisbon Council. Martin Fleming, chief economist of IBM, kicked off the discussion with a reflection on the economic potential of harnessing the “fourth industrial revolution” and the economic outlook for 2016. Later, Philippe De Backer, member of the committee on industry, research and energy in the European Parliament; My Bergdahl, telecoms counselor at the permanent representation of Sweden to the European Union; Jean-François Junger, deputy head of unit for public services at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology; Juhan Lepassaar, head of cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip (digital single market); Clare Moody, member of the committee on budgets in the European Parliament; Antti Peltomäki, deputy director-general for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and small- and medium-sized enterprises at the European Commission; Stephan Raes, head of economic department at the permanent representation of the Netherlands to the European Union; and António Vicente, head of cabinet for European Commissioner Carlos Moedas (research, science and innovation), joined the debate, which looked at the role of data analytics in improving society and driving economic growth. The debate was underpinned and informed by Economic Vitality 2.0: Prosperity and Public Engagement in a Data-Driven World, a paper Dr Fleming presented and launched on the occasion.

An eclectic group of high-level policymakers, economists and think tankers met at the High-Level Working Dinner on How Data Analytics Will Drive Growth, the latest meeting of the Zukunftssalon: Forum for the Future, a platform for debate on contemporary issues, hosted by the Lisbon Council. Martin Fleming, chief economist of IBM, kicked off the discussion with a reflection on the economic potential of harnessing the “fourth industrial revolution” and the economic outlook for 2016. Later, Philippe De Backer, member of the committee on industry, research and energy in the European Parliament; My Bergdahl, telecoms counselor at the permanent representation of Sweden to the European Union; Jean-François Junger, deputy head of unit for public services at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology; Juhan Lepassaar, head of cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip (digital single market); Clare Moody, member of the committee on budgets in the European Parliament; Antti Peltomäki, deputy director-general for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and small- and medium-sized enterprises at the European Commission; Stephan Raes, head of economic department at the permanent representation of the Netherlands to the European Union; and António Vicente, head of cabinet for European Commissioner Carlos Moedas (research, science and innovation) joined the debate, which looked at the role of data analytics in improving society and driving economic growth. The debate was underpinned and informed by Economic Vitality 2.0: Prosperity and Public Engagement in a Data-Driven World, a paper Dr. Fleming presented and launched on the occasion.

Download Economic Vitality 2.0

]]>News & EventsWed, 15 Jul 2015 07:35:27 +0000Future Directions for Scientific Advice in Europe https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/623.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/623.htmlIn collaboration with the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge University and the European Commission, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Summit on Future Directions for Scientific Advice in Europe. James Wilsdon, professor of science and democracy at the University of Sussex, presented Future Directions for Scientific Advice in Europe, a new book framing the future of evidence-based policymaking and scientific advice in Europe that was launched in the margins. António Vicente, head of cabinet for Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for research, science and innovation, kicked off the debate with a fascinating overview of the European Commission’s reflection on institutionalising scientific advice in the European Commission, which will soon culminate in proposals. Ian Chubb, chief scientist of Australia; Robert Doubleday, executive director of the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge; Ulrike Felt, professor of science and technology studies at the University of Vienna; Robert Madelin, director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission; Nathalie Moll, secretary-general of Europabio; Wolfgang Rohe, executive director of the Mercator Foundation; Vladimír Šucha, director-general of the Joint Research Centre at the European Commission; and Lieve Van Woensel, head of scientific foresight service at the European Parliament, joined a high-level panel.

]]>News & EventsTue, 28 Apr 2015 15:31:04 +0000Media in the Digital Agehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/663.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/663.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Working Lunch on Media in the Digital Age, engaging top policymakers and experts in a thought-provoking discussion on the future of news in Europe. David Levy, director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, research director, presented Digital News Report 2015, the Reuters Institute’s highly-regarded annual survey of media consumption in the digital age. This autumn, the study has been expanded to provide coverage of 18 key countries. Katarzyna Ananicz, information society and telecommunications counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union; My Bergdahl, telecommunications, and information society counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union; Karen Boers, co-founder and managing director of Startups.be; Ed Brannigan, head of press at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union; Anne Bucher, deputy director-general at DG economic and financial affairs in the European Commission; Aikaterini Daouti, press attachée at the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union; Jakub Dürr, deputy permanent representative at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union; Julie Fionda, member of cabinet, Marianne Thyssen, European commissioner for employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility; Günther Grathwohl, telecommunications and information society counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union; Clyde Kull, deputy permanent representative at the Permanent Representation of Estonia to the European Union; Mario Mariniello, adviser on digital single market at the European Political Strategy Centre in the European Commission; Vibeke Pasternak Jørgensen, deputy permanent representative at the Permanent Representation of Denmark to the European Union; Juho Romakkaniemi; head of cabinet, Jyrki Katainen, European Commission vice-president for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness; and Alexander Winterstein, deputy chief spokesperson of the European Commission, joined the debate.

]]>News & EventsWed, 04 Nov 2015 15:35:53 +0000Empowering SMEs in the Single Market https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/612.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/612.htmlThe Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre convened the High-Level Working Lunch on SMEs in the Single Market. An eclectic group of successful, digitally-empowered SMEs, business leaders and top policymakers, joined a heated debate on how the Internet enables European SMEs to grow and internationalise their business. Among others, Patricia Cusden, founder and managing director of Look Fabulous Forever, an e-commerce website that sells makeup product for women of a certain age; Claude Ritter, co-founder of Book a Tiger, an online agency that deploys cleaning staff into German cities; and Marc Verschueren, online marketing manager of Happy Socks, a web store for unique and colourful socks, shared their experiences and provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of the digital single market in Europe. The lunch was hosted by Matt Brittin, president of business and operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Google, John Higgins, director general of Digital Europe, and chaired by Paul Hofheinz, president and executive director of the Lisbon Council. ]]>News & EventsMon, 09 Mar 2015 12:24:50 +0000Employment and Skills High-Level Roundtablehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/625.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/625.html

The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on Employment and Skills, a meeting of top civil servants, job centre representatives, think tankers and other thought leaders in the field of skills and employment. This year’s theme was Building the Missing Skills in Europe to Rekindle Growth and Competitiveness. It brought together an eclectic mix of high-level participants from, inter alia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the United States, who presented case studies on employment challenges in their home countries, exchanged best practice and explored common solutions to delivering more skills to the labour market. Michel Servoz, director-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion at the European Commission, led a breakout session on strategic European Commission initiatives. Stefano Scarpetta, director for employment, labour and social affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), set the scene with insightful OECD evidence on the links between skills mismatch and the labour market inefficiencies. Yngvar Åsholt, director for research and analysis at the Labour and Welfare Service (Norway); Reynald Chapuis, director for innovation and corporate social responsibility at Pôle Emploi (France); Wolfgang Müller, managing director for European affairs at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany); and Fred Paling, member of the executive board of UWV (Netherlands), presented the challenges their agencies face in dealing with matching jobseekers’ skills with the demand in the labour marker – and the various ideas and solutions they are implementing to accompany this transition. Jason A. Tyszko, senior director for policy and programmes at the centre for education and workforce in the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, provided an international perspective on these issues and discussed the US Chamber’s initiatives in addressing the skills gap and talent pipeline management. Filip Van Depoele, adviser to the director-general for education and culture at the European Commission; and Sonia Peressini, deputy head of unit for skills and qualifications at the European Commission’s directorate-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion, also weighed in, with additional thoughts on how the European Commission analyses the situation.The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on Employment and Skills, a meeting of top civil servants, job centre representatives, think tankers and other thought leaders in the field of skills and employment. This year’s theme was Building the Missing Skills in Europe to Rekindle Growth and Competitiveness. It brought together an eclectic mix of high-level participants from, inter alia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the United States, who presented case studies on employment challenges in their home countries, exchanged best practice and explored common solutions to delivering more skills to the labour market. Michel Servoz, director-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion at the European Commission, led a breakout session on strategic European Commission initiatives. Stefano Scarpetta, director for employment, labour and social affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), set the scene with insightful OECD evidence on the links between skills mismatch and the labour market inefficiencies. Yngvar Åsholt, director for research and analysis at the Labour and Welfare Service (Norway); Reynald Chapuis, director for innovation and corporate social responsibility at Pôle Emploi (France); Wolfgang Müller, managing director for European affairs at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany); and Fred Paling, member of the executive board of UWV (Netherlands), presented the challenges their agencies face in dealing with matching jobseekers’ skills with the demand in the labour marker – and the various ideas and solutions they are implementing to accompany this transition. Jason A. Tyszko, senior director for policy and programmes at the centre for education and workforce in the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, provided an international perspective on these issues and discussed the US Chamber’s initiatives in addressing the skills gap and talent pipeline management. Filip Van Depoele, adviser to the director-general for education and culture at the European Commission; and Sonia Peressini, deputy head of unit for skills and qualifications at the European Commission’s directorate-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion, also weighed in, with additional thoughts on how the European Commission analyses the situation.

The European Centre for Government Transformation convened the High-Level Roundtable on Employment and Skills, a meeting of top civil servants, job centre representatives, think tankers and other thought leaders in the field of skills and employment. This year’s theme was Building the Missing Skills in Europe to Rekindle Growth and Competitiveness. It brought together an eclectic mix of high-level participants from, inter alia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the United States, who presented case studies on employment challenges in their home countries, exchanged best practice and explored common solutions to delivering more skills to the labour market. Michel Servoz, director-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion at the European Commission, led a breakout session on strategic European Commission initiatives. Stefano Scarpetta, director for employment, labour and social affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), set the scene with insightful OECD evidence on the links between skills mismatch and the labour market inefficiencies. Yngvar Åsholt, director for research and analysis at the Labour and Welfare Service (Norway); Reynald Chapuis, director for innovation and corporate social responsibility at Pôle Emploi (France); Wolfgang Müller, managing director for European affairs at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany); and Fred Paling, member of the executive board of UWV (Netherlands), presented the challenges their agencies face in dealing with matching jobseekers’ skills with the demand in the labour marker – and the various ideas and solutions they are implementing to accompany this transition. Jason A. Tyszko, senior director for policy and programmes at the centre for education and workforce in the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, provided an international perspective on these issues and discussed the US Chamber’s initiatives in addressing the skills gap and talent pipeline management. Filip Van Depoele, adviser to the director-general for education and culture at the European Commission; and Sonia Peressini, deputy head of unit for skills and qualifications at the European Commission’s directorate-general for employment, social affairs and inclusion, also weighed in, with additional thoughts on how the European Commission analyses the situation.

]]>News & EventsWed, 29 Apr 2015 15:50:06 +0000Valdis Dombrovskis Keynotes The Euro Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/577.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/577.htmlThe 2014 Euro Summit convened under the timely theme Towards a Future of Stability and Growth. In one of his first major Brussels-based addresses, Valdis Dombrovskis, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the euro and social dialogue, delivered a powerful keynote, highlighting the progress made in the eurozone so far and the challenges that remain to be tackled in the year ahead. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg, presented The 2014 Euro Plus Monitor: Leaders and Laggards, the latest edition of the leading competitiveness ranking published by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council, while Tom Nuttall, Brussels bureau chief and Charlemagne editor at The Economist, joined as discussant. The summit took place on the day the European Council met to assess euro area progress and debate European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s €315 billion investment plan.

]]>News & EventsThu, 18 Dec 2014 14:44:52 +0000'The Europe I Want, the Europe We Need'https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/587.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/587.html“The European Union is part of the solution; not part of the problem.” So said Vince Cable, Britain’s charismatic secretary of state at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in The 2015 Robert Schuman Lecture, the flagship address in the Lisbon Council’s Founding Fathers Lecture Series. In the midst of heated debate on the future of the United Kingdom in Europe and on the eve of the British general elections, Minister Cable called for a re-invigorated digital single market, adding “digital is central to growth in the European Union” and “we need to be able to show that the internal market works.”

]]>News & EventsTue, 20 Jan 2015 13:51:27 +0000Open Data and the Digital Single Market https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/615.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/615.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on Open Data in the G8: A Review of Progress on the G8 Open Data Charter. Robert D. Atkinson, founder and president of The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a premier US-based think tank, presented the findings of Open Data in the G8: A Review of Progress on the G8 Open Data Charter, a report that ranks the progress made by G8 members towards each of the five principles of the Open Data Charter, signed in 2013 in Lough Erne. Oliver Buckley, deputy director for government transparency and open data at the Cabinet Office in the United Kingdom, explained how the UK succeeded to lead the world for open data transparency. Vivian Chan, CEO and co-founder of Sparrho, a personalised recommendation platform for scientific research; Marie-Cécile Huet, chief marketing officer of OpenDataSoft, a platform that transforms of all types of data into innovative services; Jonathan Raper, CEO and founder of Transport API, an open platform for transport solutions; Yodit Stanton, CEO and founder, OpenSensors.io, a startup that offers smart solutions for sensor-generated private and open data; and Chris Taggart, CEO and co-founder of OpenCorporates, the largest open database of companies in the world, joined a CEO panel and discussed the opportunity – and challenge – of open data in the Internet economy. Later, Beatrice Covassi, deputy head of unit for data value chain at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, joined a High-Level Working Lunch on Open Data in the Digital Single Market, where she led an electric discussion on the potential of open government data to empower citizens, improve the delivery of public services but also generate significant economic value. The lunch was hosted by the European Digital Forum, a think tank managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta and dedicated to web entrepreneurship.

]]>News & EventsFri, 20 Mar 2015 13:43:43 +0000College of Europe Students Present State Transformation Case Studies to a High-Level Juryhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/610.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/610.htmlThe European Centre for Government Transformation convened an eclectic group to give a first evaluation of The 2015 College of Europe State Transformation Case Studies, prepared by students at the College of Europe (Falcone and Borsellino promotion). Neelie Kroes, special envoy for StartupDelta and former vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the digital agenda, chaired a jury of top civil servants from EU member states. This year, the case studies were selected among the winners and finalists of the European Capital of Innovation Award given by the European Commission’s directorate-general for research and innovation. The projects focus on expanding the circular economy (Paris), developing micro-distribution and macro-blocks (Barcelona), promoting better public services in the innovation ecosystem (Espoo, Finland) and creating a smart users’ city (Groningen). The students are divided into four teams, each of which spent part of the academic year studying the challenges of the chosen agency and making recommendations for scaling up their operations. Later, the high-level jury chaired by Ms Kroes will decide and award The 2015 Public Service Innovation Award to the best overall project. Vice-President Kroes also chaired a working dinner with the Government Executive Innovation Circle, a high-level body of committed public servants and experts, on the challenge of state modernisation. The European Centre for Government Transformation is a tri-partite collaboration between the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture. Founded in 2009 as a leading research and practitioner-driven community, the European Centre for Government Transformation is a new type of ideas and solutions hub that recognizes the interdisciplinary nature of state transformation and public-sector modernisation.

]]>News & EventsFri, 27 Feb 2015 12:59:05 +0000Data-Driven Business Models and Europe’s Digital Futurehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/573.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/573.htmlThe European Digital Forum convened the High-Level Roundtable on Europe’s Digital Future. Neelie Kroes, former vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner for the digital agenda (2009-2014), delivered a fascinating keynote and launched Digital Minds for a New Europe, an e-book featuring 44 essays by the world's leading thinkers on the challenges ahead – and the solutions digital technology will provide. The roundtable also served as the launch for Data-Driven Business Models: Powering Startups in the Digital Age, a new policy brief written by Sergey Filippov, associate director of the Lisbon Council. The policy brief explores the growing role and prominence of data-driven businesses among European startups and presents a set of 10 "smart policy principles" for making Europe an environment where digital startups can thrive. Romain Niccoli, co-founder, deputy CEO and chief technology officer of Criteo, a French digital advertising startup that has grown to more than €1 billion annual turnover, delivered the keynote. Laurent Kinet, CEO and co-founder of Swan Insights; Márta Nagy-Rothengass, head of unit for data value chain at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology; Mark van Rijmenam, founder of BigData-Startups.com and author of Think Bigger: Developing a Successful Big Data Strategy for Your Business, and Estelle Werth, global privacy officer of Criteo, joined a high-level panel on how European startups are carving out unique niches in the field of data-analytics, drawing on their limited legacies and imaginative business thinking to re-define competitive advantage in the age of the Internet. The European Digital Forum is a think tank committed to empowering web entrepreneurs and growing Europe’s digital economy. It is co-managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, the United Kingdom’s innovation foundation. Visit www.europeandigitalforum.eu.

The Lisbon Council, Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) and Georgetown University teamed up to host a high-level summit in Washington, DC on Growing the Transatlantic Digital Economy: How Trade, Data and Internet Governance Drive the Economic Recovery.Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission in charge of the digital agenda and Catherine A. Novelli, under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment at the US Department of State, delivered powerful keynotes, while Karen Donfried, president of The German Marshall Fund of the United States, chaired the discussion. The debate was introduced by Will Marshall, president of PPI. Later, Larry Downes, director of the center for business and public policy, evolution of regulation and innovation project at Georgetown University (which graciously hosted the summit); Antonio De Lecea, principal adviser at the delegation of the European Commission to the United States; Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist of PPI; and Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council, joined a high-level panel discussion, moderated by Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council, on next steps in the transatlantic digital agenda.

]]>News & EventsTue, 23 Sep 2014 14:02:12 +0000Towards Industry 4.0 and a Digital Single Market https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/563.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/563.htmlThe European Digital Forum convened a high-level roundtable on Towards Industry 4.0 and a Digital Single Market: How Digital Technologies Can Close Europe’s Productivity Gap. Two of the world’s foremost experts on information technology and productivity, Bart Van Ark, executive vice-president, chief economist and chief strategy officer of The Conference Board and author of Productivity and Digitalisation in Europe: Paving the Road to Faster Growth and Robert D. Atkinson, president of The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and co-author of Raising European Productivity Growth Through ICT, presented their research and led a discussion on how digitalisation drives productivity, growth and jobs. Francisco Caballero Sanz, chief economist and head of unit for industrial competitiveness for growth at the European Commission’s DG enterprise and industry; Wolfgang Dorst, head of department, Industry 4.0 at Bitkom; Gerard de Graaf, director for co-ordination at the European Commission’s DG communication networks, content and technology; Dennis Kredler, director-general of the European Retail Round Table; Valerie Mocker, senior researcher for startups and entrepreneurship at Nesta; and Mark Purdy, managing director and chief economist of Accenture’s institute for high performance, also intervened, sharing their recent research and latest thinking on Europe’s economic situation and the role the digital economy can play in helping to overcome it. Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament, weighed in with a special video message, giving the European Parliament’s perspective and announcing several important European Parliament initiatives aimed at driving the digital agenda forward. The high-level roundtable was hosted by the European Digital Forum, a think tank managed by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, in collaboration with the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative.

Download Productivity and Digitalisation in Europe: Paving the Road to Faster Growth

]]>News & EventsFri, 17 Oct 2014 09:47:26 +0000Helping Small Businesses Grow Bighttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/598.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/598.htmlThe Lisbon Council welcomed David C. Drummond, senior vice-president for corporate development and chief legal officer of Google and chairman of Google Ventures and Google Capital – two leading California-based venture capital firms with more than $1.5 billion under management. Convening under the theme Helping Small Businesses Grow Big: How Europe Can Seize the Opportunity in the Age of the Internet, Mr Drummond delivered a powerful keynote on the challenges and opportunities of small business and entrepreneurs in Europe and highlighted the role of the digital single market as a key driver for growth. The roundtable was hosted by the Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsWed, 21 Jan 2015 13:11:14 +0000The 2014 European Summit for Government Transformation https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/568.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/568.htmlThe 2014 European Summit for Government Transformation brought together leading ministers, top civil servants, academics, thought leaders and other experts on state transformation under the timely theme How Europe Can Deliver Public Service for the Future. The discussion was underpinned by Delivering Public Service for the Future: How Europe Can Lead Public-Sector Transformation, a collection of 12 essays on the future of public-sector reform and state modernisation that was launched in the margins. Francis Maude, minister for the cabinet office and paymaster general (United Kingdom) and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, minister for administrative reform and e-government (Greece), delivered inspiring keynotes, describing the efforts to improve public-sector performance in their countries (both ministers contributed essays to Delivering Public Service for the Future). Later, Pier Carlo Padoan, finance minister (Italy) and representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, joined the high-level debate, where he led a passionate appeal for an “all-levers” European strategy for growth and jobs. Rolf Alter, director for public governance and territorial development, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Olivier Costa, professor and director of political and administrative studies, College of Europe; Arnis Daugulis, government chief information officer (Latvia) and representative of the Presidency of the Council of the EU (2015); and Bernard Le Masson, global managing director for public service at Accenture Strategy, joined the debate. The summit was hosted by the European Centre for Government Transformation, a leading-edge research centre and practitioner-driven community dedicated to providing pragmatic and actionable solutions to government agencies and public service providers. It was founded in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

]]>News & EventsFri, 07 Nov 2014 08:55:54 +0000Exploring the App Economy and Internet of Tomorrowhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/575.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/575.htmlThe mobile Internet is evolving rapidly as consumers move off their desktops and onto their smartphones and tablets. This shift seems set to accelerate with the advent of “wearable devices” and “machine-to-machine communications.” Against this backdrop, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on the App Economy and the Internet of Tomorrow: How Europe Can Seize the Opportunities. The debate was intellectually underpinned by the launch of The Mobile Internet Economy in Europe, a new study from the Boston Consulting Group. Dominic Field, partner and managing director at the Boston Consulting Group and principal author of the study, kicked off the debate. Later, Matt Brittin, president of business and operations for Northern and Central Europe at Google, delivered a powerful keynote on the rise of the European mobile Internet economy; StJohn Deakins, CEO and founder of CitizenMe (a mobile app that gives citizens control of their "digital identity"); Sophie Mestchersky, director of European policy and government affairs at the Application Developers Alliance; Eva Paunova, member of the European Parliament; Ulrik Van Schepdael, founder of Mobco (a Belgium-based digital startup that helps companies mobilise their business); and Maximilian Strotmann, member of cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip, joined the debate, stressing the opportunities and challenges for Europe in this vital, fast-moving transition. The high-level roundtable was hosted by Innovation Economics, a multidisciplinary centre managed by the Lisbon Council and committed to shedding light on - and providing scientific evidence of - the profound impact of the Internet and digital technologies.

]]>News & EventsThu, 11 Dec 2014 08:30:15 +0000Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/552.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/552.htmlThe Lisbon Council hosted the launch of the Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report: Building a More Competitive Europe by the World Economic Forum. Building on the Forum’s global world-leading competitiveness and benchmarking data, this report measures Europe’s performance against the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU’s flagship growth and jobs agenda. Catherine Day, secretary-general of the European Commission, kicked off the debate with a thought-provoking keynote on the way forward for the Europe 2020 Strategy. Nicholas Davis, director and head of Europe at the World Economic Forum; Maria Fanjul, CEO of entradas.com and member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Europe; Caroline Galvan, economist, Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Network at the World Economic Forum and one of the lead authors of the report; Mark Spelman, global head of strategy at Accenture and member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Europe; and Paweł Świeboda, president of demosEuropa and member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Europe, shared their perspectives on how Europe can raise its game in an increasingly competitive and interconnected world and how to narrow the knowledge divide within Europe itself. Later in the day, the European Digital Forum teamed up with the World Economic Forum to host a High-Level Working Lunch on Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship. The discussion focused on improving the collaboration between digital entrepreneurs and large corporations in an effort to help Europe to innovate better and more collaboratively. Special guest was Mário Campolargo, director for net futures at the European Commission's directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology.

]]>News & EventsWed, 11 Jun 2014 07:14:46 +0000Towards a 'European Spring'https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/544.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/544.htmlThree distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s Presentation

Three distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe.

Download Alessandro Leipold’s PresentationThree distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for EuroDownload Alessandro Leipold’s PresentatioThree distinguished economists joined a high-level debate on Towards a “European Spring:” How To Strengthen Europe’s Economic Recovery and Build a New Foundation for Growth. Philippe Legrain, author of European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics Are in a Mess and How to Put Them Right and former independent economic adviser to the president of the European Commission, presented the main conclusions of his new book. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund, and Shahin Vallée, economic adviser and member of cabinet of President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, offered their unique perspectives on the lessons of six years of crisis fighting – and the economic outlook for Europe

]]>News & EventsTue, 06 May 2014 07:53:24 +0000Government as a Digital Disrupterhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/556.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/556.htmlConvening under the timely theme Government as a Digital Disrupter: Driving Public Service Innovation and Transformation, this high-level roundtable brought together a dynamic group of heads of digital agencies, e-government practitioners and experts to discuss the future of government and in particular the role that digital technologies can play in the delivery of modern public services. Robert Madelin, director-general for communications networks, content and technology at the European Commission, provided a report card of the performances of the Digital Agenda, especially as it applied to government. In interactive working groups, participants compared and shared best practices on digital government in, inter alia, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Mike Bracken, executive director of Digital for Government at the Cabinet Office in the United Kingdom, kicked-off the debate with a visionary address on key digital trends that hold the most potential to transform governments over the next years. Gian Luigi Albano, head of research at Consip, the Italian national purchasing body; Linda Liukas, digital champion for Finland; Henri Verdier, director of Etalab in France; and Marijke Verhavert, CIO of the public governance department and head of monitoring systems and crisis management at the Flemish Government in Belgium, delivered special presentations.

]]>News & EventsWed, 25 Jun 2014 11:37:20 +0000José Manuel Barroso and Neelie Kroes Launch European Digital Forum @ Europe 2020 Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/549.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/549.htmlThe Lisbon Council brought together a star-studded group of digital entrepreneurs and thought leaders to convene this year’s edition of the Europe 2020 Summit and the Brussels launch of the European Digital Forum (EDF), a new think tank spearheaded by the Lisbon Council and Nesta. José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, and Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the digital agenda, delivered powerful keynote addresses on the way forward for the European economy and called for a growth and jobs strategy fit for the digital age. Sherry Coutu, angel investor and non-executive director of the London Stock Exchange Group; Mark Silverstein, head of product, tech, IP and policy at Spotify; Teemu Suila, chief operating officer of Rovio; Kaya Taner, CEO and co-founder of Applift and member of the European board of Application Developers Alliance; and Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, founder and CEO of The Next Web and member of the Leaders Club, shared their perspectives on how to strengthen the European ecosystem for tech entrepreneurs and boost the digital economy. Javier Arias, corporate director and group head of EU affairs at BBVA; Pierre Louette, deputy CEO and group general secretary, Orange; Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council and EDF; Frédéric Michel, global director for public engagement and Europe director of public affairs and communications at Telefónica; Alberto Onetti, chairman of Mind the Bridge and Startup Europe Partnership; and Marjut Santoni, deputy CEO for the European Investment Fund, presented the next steps for the European Digital Forum and Startup Europe Partnership. The summit culminated in the launch of Productivity and Digitalisation in Europe: Paving the Road to Faster Growth, a new policy brief by Bart van Ark, executive vice-president, chief economist and chief strategy officer of the Conference Board. Dr van Ark presented the main findings of the policy brief and was joined by Chris Haley, head of start-ups and new tech research at Nesta; Nicklas Lundblad, director for public policy and government relations for Europe and the EU at Google; and Dirk Pilat, deputy director for science, technology and industry at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for a thought-provoking discussion on how the European digital single market can deliver productivity and job creation. The policy brief is published by The Conference Board and the Centre for Innovation Economics, a multi-disciplinary centre managed by the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsThu, 22 May 2014 14:38:32 +0000Transatlantic Summit on New Engines of Growth https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/543.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/543.htmlTwo leading think tanks – the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) from Washington, DC and the Lisbon Council from Brussels – convened the Transatlantic Summit on New Engines of Growth: Driving Innovation and Trade in Data. The think tanks used the occasion to launch Bridging the Data Gap: How Digital Innovation Can Drive Growth and Create Jobs, a new policy brief written by Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council, and Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist of PPI. The study describes the immense benefits that can arise as a result of greater use of data analytics in healthcare, CO2 emissions, social inclusion, job creation and growth generation – and finds a vast “data gap” between Europe and the United States. Later, Giuseppe Abbamonte, director for media and data at the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology; Richard Benjamins, group director for business intelligence and big data at Telefónica; Elena Bryan, senior trade representative at the US Mission to the EU; Damien Levie, deputy chief European negotiator for TTIP and head of unit for trade relations with the US and Canada at the European Commission’s directorate general for trade; John Midgley, senior manager for global public policy at Intuit; Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze, Internet economist and policy analyst at the directorate for science, technology and industry of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Martin Wrigley, general manager for Europe at the Application Developers Alliance, joined high-level panels on the transformative power of data-driven innovation, and looked at how the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could unlock the growth potential of data-driven trade on both sides of the Atlantic. The summit was informed and enriched by the participation of the Digital Trade Study Group, a high-level delegation of US Congressional staff members. It was hosted by the Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsFri, 25 Apr 2014 07:29:00 +0000Anthony Giddens Launches Book on Europehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/513.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/513.htmlThe Lisbon Council hosted the Brussels launch of Turbulent and Mighty Continent: What Future for Europe?, the new book by Anthony Giddens, former director of the London School of Economics. Lord Giddens delivered The 2013 Jean Jacques Rousseau Lecture and presented an array of new ideas for energising the European project. Joaquín Almunia, vice-president of the European Commission, served as discussant.

]]>News & EventsMon, 25 Nov 2013 16:27:39 +0000European Copyright for the Digital Age https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/536.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/536.htmlThe Lisbon Council hosted a high-level roundtable on European Copyright for the Digital Age, engaging top policymakers and experts in a discussion on the way forward for copyright. Martin Senftleben, professor of intellectual property and head of the private law department at VU University Amsterdam; Heritiana Ranaivoson, senior researcher at iMinds and Vrije Universiteit Brussel; and Tony Clayton, chief economist at the UK Intellectual Property Office, set the scene and offered legal and economic perspectives on copyright reform.

Pierre Delsaux, deputy director-general for internal market and services at the European Commission; Linnar Viik, associate professor at the Estonian IT College, and member of the governing board at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT); and Jeremy West, senior policy analyst at the directorate for science, technology and industry, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), discussed next steps on the European agenda.

]]>News & EventsThu, 27 Feb 2014 10:16:16 +0000Open Letter from EU Digital Championshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/545.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/545.htmlThe European Digital Forum, a think tank spearheaded by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, in collaboration with the Startup Europe Partnership and the European Commission, released an Open Letter to the Contenders for European Commission President, signed by European Union Digital Champions. These Ambassadors of the Digital Agenda for Europe encourage the lead Commission presidency candidates to include a bold and ambitious digital strategy in their electoral platforms and unite behind a four-point agenda. Jean-Claude Juncker, the candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP), responded to the Open Letter, highlighting that the digital single market is one of his five top priorities. Later on, Guy Verhofstadt, the candidate of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), responded to the Open Letter, laying out his four key actions for a "Digital Fast Forward." The Open Letter will be formally presented at the European Business Summit on 15 May in Brussels, by Gesche Joost, digital champion of Germany and design researchprofessor at the Berlin University of the Arts.

]]>News & EventsWed, 07 May 2014 13:39:06 +0000Powering Public Sector Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/528.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/528.htmlTo conclude a remarkable year of activities and research, the European Centre for Government Transformation hosted the launch of the final report by the Expert Group on Public Sector Innovation. Christian Bason, director of MindLab and chair of the expert group, presented the report and the nine recommendations aimed to spur greater innovation in the public sector. His presentation was preceded by introductory remarks from Peter Dröll, head of unit for innovation policy at the European Commission’s DG research and innovation. Gian Luigi Albano, head of research and development at Consip, the Italian National Central Purchase Agency; Nicolas Conso, head of unit for innovation and user services at the Secretariat-General for Government Modernisation in the French Prime Minister’s Office; and Karel Tobback, head of cabinet of Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters, offered a practitioner’s perspective and discussed the recommendations put forward in the report. Marion Dewar, member of cabinet of Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science, shared a special message from her commissioner, outlining the way that Horizon 2020 aims to spearhead greater public sector innovation.

The discussion was complemented by input from additional members of the expert group, among them Consuelo Hidalgo Gómez, from the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity, Spain; Hugo Hollanders, senior researcher, Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT), Netherlands, and rapporteur on the report; Gina Korella, member of cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Minister for Administrative Reform and e-Government, Greece; Christine Leitner, senior policy adviser at the Federal Ministry of Economy, Youth and Family, Austria; Bernard le Masson, global managing director, health and public service, management consulting, Accenture; Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, professor of democracy studies at the Hertie School of Governance; Jan Oravec, president of the Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia; and Marga Pröhl, director-general of the European Institute of Public Adminstration (EIPA).Download Powering European Public Sector Innovation: Towards a New Architecture

]]>News & EventsTue, 17 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000Herman Van Rompuy Keynotes Innovation Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/505.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/505.htmlOn the eve of the October European Council devoted to innovation and the digital agenda, the Lisbon Council convened The 2013 Innovation Summit. Highlights included the launch of Plan I(nnovation) for Europe: Delivering Innovation-Led, Digitally-Powered Growth, a new publication produced by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, Europe’s leading innovation foundation. The policy brief proposed a seven point agenda for making Europe “the best place in the world to innovate.”

Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, delivered The 2013 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture, to a rapt audience. Carlo d'Asaro Biondo, vice-president of Google; John Bell, head of cabinet of European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn; Dainius Pavalkis, minister for education and science of Lithuania and acting chair of the Competitiveness Council of the European Union (research); Nico Perez, co-founder of Mixcloud and young adviser to Neelie Kroes, vice-president and European commissioner in charge of the digital agenda: Desirée van Welsum, economist and programme lead for business scenarios at the Conference Board; Stian Westlake, executive director for policy and research at Nesta and co-author of Plan I(nnovation) for Europe: Delivering Innovation-Led, Digitally-Powered Growth; and Andrew W. Wyckoff, director for science, technology and industry at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, joined the lively discussion on how to drive forward innovation and digital advancement in Europe.

The OECD also used the occasion to launch Supporting Investment in Knowledge Capital, Growth and Innovation, a new report on the role of knowledge-based capital as a new source of growth. The event was held under the patronage of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It was hosted by the Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council and aimed at shedding light on the role SMEs play in the European single market – and the way the single market can help SMEs deliver more growth and jobs to Europe’s economy. The SME Centre was founded in 2012 by the Lisbon Council and Google.

]]>News & EventsThu, 10 Oct 2013 14:18:46 +0000Economic Growth in the European Unionhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/508.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/508.htmlThe Lisbon Council hosted the launch of Economic Growth in the European Union, an e-book based on comprehensive comparative analyses of European growth patterns, by Leszek Balcerowicz, author of Polish structural reforms which delivered the longest, most sustained period of economic growth in modern European history. Prof Balcerowicz presented his findings in The 2013 Ludwig Erhard Lecture. The study is part of the Growth and Competitiveness Initiative, a multi-year research project, which will be chaired by Prof Balcerowicz and managed by the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsWed, 16 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000Lisbon Council @ Innovation Convention https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/540.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/540.htmlThe Lisbon Council took a leading role at this year’s Innovation Convention, the European Commission’s flagship summit, which brought together more than 3000 participants for two days of intense dialogue on innovation and the challenges ahead. Ann Mettler, executive director, chaired the opening plenary, which included major keynote addresses from José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission; and Mark Rutte, prime minister of Netherlands, who were later joined by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science, to award the EU Prize for Women Innovators.

The Lisbon Council also convened two high-level fringe sessions: Plan I(nnovation) for Europe: Priorities for the Next European Commission, and Driving Public Sector Innovation, which was hosted by the European Centre for Government Transformation. Stian Westlake, executive director for policy and research at Nesta, spoke at the first fringe, presenting the key recommendations of Plan I(nnovation) for Europe: Delivering Innovation-Led, Digitally-Powered Growth, a policy brief jointly written by the Lisbon Council and Nesta. Xavier Damman, co-founder and general manager of Storify; Matthias Kaiserswerth, director of IBM Research Europe; Max Senges, lead manager of Google for Entrepreneurs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and manager of Factory, Google’s technology hub in Berlin; and Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, joined the debate, discussing next steps for mainstreaming innovation and delivering on the digital agenda.

Later in the day, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn joined the session on Driving Public Sector Innovation. Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn used the occasion to highlight the importance of public sector innovation in Horizon 2020 in a keynote speech – and announced the winner of a year-long case-study competition on public-sector innovation, conducted by College of Europe students, Voltaire promotion. Michele Chang, professor at the European political and administrative studies department of the College of Europe; Peter Dröll, acting director for Innovation Union and the European Research Area at the European Commission’s DG research and innovation; Teodoro García Egea, member of the Spanish National Parliament and researcher in the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT); Bernard le Masson, global managing director for health and public service, management consulting at Accenture; John Kolm-Murray, seasonal health and affordable warmth co-ordinator at Islington Council, United Kingdom, joined the session, along with several winners of the European Prize for Innovation in Public Administration, awarded last year by the European Commission. Later, Commissioner Geoghegan Quinn awarded The 2014 Public Service Innovation Prize to the winning College of Europe case study: a proposal for expanding solar-energy innovation, based on the experience of the regional energy agency of Murcia, Spain.

The following day, Ann Mettler chaired a plenary on The Digital Revolution: Riding the Next Wave of Innovation with Eduardo Navarro, chief commercial digital officer of Telefónica; Anne-Marie Imafidon, head and founder of Stemettes; Doug Richard, former dragon from Dragons’ Den and founder of SchoolForStartups, Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation; and Erki Urva, chairman of the management board, Estonian Information Technology Foundation for Education.

Download College of Europe Student Case Studies Final Report 2014 Download Plan I(nnovation) for Europe Delivering Innovation-Led, Digitally-Powered Growth Download Stian Westlake’s presentation View Photos on European Commission photostreamThe Lisbon Council took a leading role at this year’s Innovation Convention, the European Commission’s flagship summit, which brought together more than 3000 participants for two days of intense dialogue on innovation and the challenges ahead. Ann Mettler, executive director, chaired the opening plenary, which included major keynote addresses from José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission; and Mark Rutte, prime minister of Netherlands, who were later joined by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science, to award the EU Prize for Women Innovators.

]]>News & EventsWed, 02 Apr 2014 13:51:36 +0000Lisbon Council and Nesta Launch European Digital Forum https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/531.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/531.htmlThe European Digital Forum is a new think tank spearheaded by the Lisbon Council and Nesta, in collaboration with the Startup Europe Partnership and the European Commission. Announced by Vice-President Neelie Kroes at the World Economic Forum in Davos, its founding partners include the European Investment Fund, Telefónica, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) and Orange.

]]>News & EventsWed, 22 Jan 2014 09:34:18 +0000Neelie Kroes Keynotes StartUp Europe Forumhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/498.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/498.htmlConvening under the timely theme Powering Web Entrepreneurship and Innovation to Drive Growth in the Digital Economy, StartUp Europe Forum brought together the doers and shapers of Europe’s digital community in the margins of Campus Party, the world’s largest technology festival, hosted by Telefónica and held at the O2 Arena in London.

Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission in charge of the digital agenda, delivered a powerful keynote. The event culminated in the launch of the Manifesto for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to Power Growth in the EU, a proposal for remaking Europe to drive growth and create jobs in the digital age, which was written by the Leaders Club of the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative. José María Álvarez-Pallete Lopez, chief operating officer of Telefónica; Peter Brooks, deputy council leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich; Mário Campolargo, director for net innovations at the European Commission’s DG communications networks, content and technology; Eva Castillo Sanz, chairwoman and CEO of Telefónica Europe; Lord Green of Husterpierpoint, UK minister of state for trade and investment; Shaygan Kheradpir, chief operations and technology officer at Barclays; Tom Kirschbaum, co-founder and chief financial officer of Waymate; Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta; Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, director for the media lab entrepreneurship programme at the MIT Media Lab and Toshiba professor of media, arts and sciences; Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, digital champion for Ireland, film producer and educator; Javier Santiso, managing director for new ventures and global affairs at Telefónica; Joanna Shields, CEO of Tech City Investment Organisation and member of the Leaders Club; Mark Surman, executive director of Mozilla Foundation; and Matthias Ummenhofer, head of venture capital at the European Investment Fund (EIF), joined interactive panels on how the broader ecosystem for web entrepreneurship can be improved in Europe.

Telefónica also used the occasion to launch new research on The Accelerator and Incubator Eco-System in Europe, a fascinating look at how Europe is faring in cutting-edge new vehicles to help and promote business entrepreneurship. The StartUp Europe Forum formed part of a pledge to the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative.

]]>News & EventsWed, 04 Sep 2013 08:20:17 +0000IBM’s Rometty on Competitive Advantage in an Era of Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/495.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/495.htmlGinni Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM, led a fascinating discussion on Competitive Advantage in an Era of Innovation in her first major speech in Brussels. Constantijn van Oranje, head of cabinet of Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president in charge of the Digital Agenda, and Gilles Babinet, serial entrepreneur and digital champion of France, also intervened, joining a high-level panel on growth and innovation.

]]>News & EventsFri, 12 Jul 2013 14:32:49 +0000Olli Rehn Keynotes Euro Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/518.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/518.htmlThe Euro Summit convened under the timely theme From Pain to Gain. Olli Rehn, vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner for economic and monetary affairs and the euro, delivered a powerful keynote, highlighting the principal achievements of the last year for the eurozone and the challenges still to be tackled. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg, presented The 2013 Euro Plus Monitor, the latest edition of the benchmark competitiveness ranking published by Berenberg and the Lisbon Council. John Peet, Europe editor at The Economist, discussed the economic outlook for 2014.

Download Vice-President Rehn’s Keynote Download Vice-President Rehn’s PresentationWatch Vice-President Rehn's KeynoteDownload Dr Schmieding’s PresentationDownload The 2013 Euro Plus MonitorView Photos on the Lisbon Council Photostream ]]>News & EventsTue, 03 Dec 2013 16:06:09 +0000Public Sector Innovation at Centre of Collaboration with European Commissionhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/478.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/478.htmlThe European Centre for Government Transformation convened a High-Level Roundtable on Public Sector Innovation, in collaboration with the European Commission’s directorate-general for research and innovation. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science, has convened an Expert Group on Public Sector Innovation to reflect on how to spur greater public sector innovation and make this key policy area an integral part of the European Union’s Innovation Union strategy. Members of the expert group, which will deliver their report and recommendations in October 2013, joined this interactive workshop, where practitioners and thought leaders presented case studies to inform the group’s thinking and serve as best practices for the upcoming report. Robert-Jan Smits, director-general for research and innovation, opened the day with a powerful speech on the Commission’s commitments to state modernisation. Christian Bason, director of MindLab and chair of the Expert Group on Public Sector Innovation, introduced the group’s work. Rolf Alter, director for public governance and territorial development at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD); Claus Duedal Pedersen, chief innovation officer at the Odense University Hospital in Denmark; Dan Hill, CEO of Fabrica, in Italy; Jordi Joly, CEO, economy, enterprise and employment at the Barcelona City Council; and Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta; showcased innovation delivered in their respective organisations. Peter Dröll, head of unit for innovation policy at the European Commission’s directorate-general for research and innovation; and Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council, delivered concluding remarks.Download Alter PresentationDownload Bason PresentationDownload Duedal Pedersen PresentationDownload Hill PresentationDownload Joly PresentationDownload Mulgan Presentation]]>News & EventsWed, 05 Jun 2013 13:50:39 +0000Don Tapscott on the Digital Economy: Making It Happen https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/501.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/501.htmlThe Lisbon Council welcomed Don Tapscott, leading writer and thinker on the digital economy and co-author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, for a High-Level Working Dinner on Maximising the Potential of the Digital Economy: Driving Growth and Innovation. Mr. Tapscott engaged in a fascinating debate with a group of business leaders, web entrepreneurs and senior experts from the European institutions on the importance and role of the Internet in the economy. The dinner was hosted by the Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre, a joint initiative of the Lisbon Council and Google, which is managed by the Lisbon Council. The SME Centre seeks to shed light on the role SMEs play in the European single market – and the way the single market can help SMEs deliver more growth and jobs to Europe’s economy.

]]>News & EventsThu, 26 Sep 2013 14:10:35 +0000Vince Cable and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn at StartUp Europe forumhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/499.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/499.htmlStartUp Europe welcomed Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science; and Vince Cable, UK secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, for a discussion on Innovation Union: Driving Europe’s Competitiveness Agenda. An eclectic and dedicated group of business leaders, successful web entrepreneurs, top academics, and senior experts from the European institutions joined the interactive debate on how to broaden Europe’s research and innovation agenda and align it better with the wider competitiveness and digital economy roadmap.

The policy forum convened in the margins of Campus Party, the world’s largest technology festival, hosted by Telefónica and held at the O2 Arena in London.

]]>News & EventsMon, 09 Sep 2013 08:47:44 +0000Data, Productivity and Trade: Lisbon Council and Progressive Policy Institute Convene Trans-Atlantic Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/474.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/474.htmlEurope and the United States are both in an urgent quest for new sources of growth. The data-driven economy, and big data in particular, has the potential to transform economies and companies by creating new business opportunities, raising productivity, reducing costs and facilitating new trade flows. Against this backdrop, two leading think tanks – the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) from the US and the Lisbon Council from Europe – teamed up to host the High-Level Roundtable on Data-Driven Productivity and Trade: Unlocking New Drivers of Growth.

With discussion of a proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement between the US and EU well underway, participants analysed the need to lay a regulatory framework for data that will both ensure adequate data protection for citizens and facilitate much-needed gains in job creation, competitiveness and growth on both sides of the Atlantic. To kick off the debate, Dr. Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at PPI, presented a paper on Data, Trade and Growth, which concluded that trade in data is the fastest rising type of trade in the transatlantic relationship today. Later, Jan Philipp Albrecht, member of the European Parliament and rapporteur for the general data protection regulation; Dimitrios Droutsas, member of the European Parliament and shadow rapporteur for the general data protection regulation; Geert Gladdines, EU adviser, European Small Business Alliance (ESBA); Damien Levie, head of unit, trade relations with the US and Canada at the European Commission’s directorate general for trade; Bernie McKay, chief public policy officer at Intuit; Greg Rafert, manager at Analysis Group and co-author of The Impact of the Data Protection Regulation in the European Union; Siada El Ramly, director-general, European Digital Media Association (EDiMA); Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament; Steven Spittaels, associate director at McKinsey & Company; Zoran Stančič, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology (DG-CONNECT); and James Waterworth, vice-president of the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), intervened in a rich and fascinating debate. The roundtable was hosted by the Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre, a centre of excellence managed by the Lisbon Council.

]]>News & EventsFri, 17 May 2013 12:25:10 +0000Digital and Web Literacy Deep-Divehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/473.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/473.htmlStartUp Europe – a collaboration between the Lisbon Council and Telefónica – hosted a Deep-Dive on Digital and Web Literacy. Organised in partnership with Mozilla Foundation, the roundtable highlighted the need not only to advance digital skills as a way to respond to the unemployment crisis among Europe’s young but also to give citizens the tools they need to become active participants on the web. Mark Surman, executive director of Mozilla Foundation, delivered a forceful keynote in which he explained how the open nature of the Internet needs digitally-savvy participants who can actively shape its content. Ronan Dunne, CEO of Telefónica UK; Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council; and Isidro Laso Ballesteros, Startup Europe team leader at the communications networks, content and technology directorate of the European Commission, explained how StartUp Europe can drive entrepreneurship and innovation. Lewie Allen, code DJ at Freeformers (an organisation that helps people to make digital ideas happen); Nils Fonstad, associate director of e-Labs at Insead; Glenn Manoff, director for social business and sustainability at Telefónica; and Xavier Prats-Monné, deputy director-general for education at the education and culture directorate of the European Commission; discussed the skills needed in the 21st century. In another session, Gi Fernando, founder of Freeformers; Peter “HP” Halácsy, chief technology officer and co-founder of Prezi; Kieron Kirkland, development research manager at Nominet Trust (an organisation that believes in the power of digital technology to improve lives and communities); Lucilla Sioli, head of unit for knowledge base at the communications networks, content and technology directorate of the European Commission; and Kathleen Stokes, lead policy adviser for digital education at Nesta, discussed the economics of digital literacy.

Watch Mark Surman's InterviewView Mark Surman’s PresentationView Photos on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsTue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000A Copyright Regime for the Digital Agehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/477.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/477.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened a High-Level Roundtable on Making the Copyright Regime Fit for the Digital Age. Seán Sherlock, Irish minister of state at the department of jobs, enterprise and innovation and the department of education and skills with responsibility for research and innovation, delivered the keynote address. Šarūnas Birutis, Lithuanian minister of culture, joined for a working lunch on “Next Steps for Copyright Reform: Looking Ahead.” Ian Hargreaves, professor of digital economy at the University of Cardiff and senior fellow at the Lisbon Council, and Bernt Hugenholtz, professor of intellectual property law, director of the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam and academic adviser to the Lisbon Council, presented Copyright Reform for Growth and Jobs: Modernising the European Copyright Framework, a new Lisbon Council policy brief. Marcel Boulogne, head of sector implementation of regulatory policy in the converging media and content unit, DG communications networks, content and technology (CONNECT), European Commission; Tony Clayton, chief economist, intellectual property office, United Kingdom; Benjamin Gibert, co-author, The Economic Value of Fair Use in Copyright Law; Till Kreutzer, co-founder of iRights.Lab, iRights.Law, iRights.info and member of the German Commission for UNESCO; and Nico Perez, co-founder of Mixcloud, joined a high-level panel on “Delivering the Upside: How Copyright Reform Can Deliver Growth and Create Jobs.” The event took place in the margins of the competitiveness council (research) of the Council of the European Union, which convened in Brussels that day.

]]>News & EventsThu, 30 May 2013 06:47:47 +0000Enda Kenny Keynotes Europe 2020 Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/464.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/464.htmlHeld on the eve of the crucial European Council Spring Meeting, the Europe 2020 Summit -- hosted by the Lisbon Council in collaboration with the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union -- examined the actions that should be taken in 2013 to consolidate the gains of past crisis fighting and lay a solid foundation for future prosperity and growth. Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland and head of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, delivered The 2013 Robert Schuman Lecture, in which he spoke about the Irish Government’s priorities for the six-month rotating presidency and his expectations for the upcoming heads of state summit. Addressing The Europe 2020 Summit for the third time, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, gave a compelling keynote, detailing the actions taken at the European level to restore confidence throughout the EU. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg Bank, presented The Spring 2013 Update of the Euro Plus Monitor, a joint project of the Lisbon Council and Berenberg Bank, which ranks European countries for adjustment progress and overall economic health. Leszek Balcerowicz, professor of economics at the Warsaw School of Economics, former deputy prime minister and minister of finance of Poland, weighed in with a special message on the policies Europe needs to restore growth (Prof. Balcerowicz will serve as co-chair of the Growth and Competitiveness Commission, a Lisbon Council initiative which was launched at the Summit.) Margareta Drzeniek, director and senior economist at the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Network; William E. Kennard, ambassador of the United States to the EU; Dirk Pilat, director for science, technology and industry at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (who also joined the launch of Innovation Economics, a new centre of excellence at the Lisbon Council); and Mark Spelman, global head of strategy at Accenture also spoke in a panel on European Economic Outlook: How to Overcome the Crisis and Restore Growth and Jobs.

Watch Taoiseach Enda Kenny's Robert Schuman LectureWatch President José Manuel Barroso's KeynoteRead Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Robert Schuman LectureRead President José Manuel Barroso’s KeynoteWatch Leszek Balcerowicz’s Special MessageDownload The Euro Plus Monitor Spring 2013 UpdateView Margareta Drzeniek’s PresentationView Dirk Pilat’s PresentationView Holger Schmieding’s PresentationView Photo Highlights from The Europe 2020 Summit]]>News & EventsThu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000Transforming Government, Driving Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/475.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/475.htmlConvening under the theme Transforming Government, Driving Innovation: Towards Modern Public Services, The 2013 European Centre for Government Transformation Annual Forum and Award Ceremony gathered an eclectic and high-powered group of key policymakers, prominent thought leaders and senior representatives from European public sector agencies to take stock of public sector innovation. The goal was to place the process squarely in the larger transformation of the European economy. Brian Hayes TD, Irish minister of state for public service reform and the office of public works, and representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, delivered The 2013 Jean Monnet Lecture, a powerful speech on how to reinvent the state, drawing on the lessons of the Irish journey towards a more modern and responsive public sector. Michele Chang, professor of European political and administrative studies at the College of Europe; Annie Gauvin, director for international affairs and relations at Pole emploi; Bernard Le Masson, global managing director for health and public service, management consulting at Accenture; Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council; Francisco Moreno, senior prosecutor at the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office; Seán Shine, senior managing director for health and public service in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Latin America at Accenture; and Kasper Westh, chief officer for regional development at Region Southern Denmark, also intervened. In addition, 12 College of Europe students presented the results of their year-long state-transformation case studies, compiled as part of their participation in the European Centre for Government Transformation programme. The winning team – working with the Spanish Prosecution Service – was awarded The 2013 Public Sector Innovation Award. The event was hosted by the European Centre for Government Transformation, a high-level network and inter-disciplinary research centre formed in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

Read Minister Hayes' SpeechDownload College of Europe Student Case Study Final Report 2013]]>News & EventsTue, 28 May 2013 16:02:41 +0000OECD Launches New Study on Budgetary Consolidationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/494.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/494.htmlThe Lisbon Council hosted the European launch of How Much Scope for Growth- and Equity-Friendly Budgetary Consolidation in OECD Countries?, a new OECD research study. Pier Carlo Padoan, deputy secretary-general and chief economist of the OECD, presented the new report, which proposes a structured approach to the selection of fiscal consolidation instruments that is consistent with growth, equity and global- rebalancing objectives.

]]>News & EventsTue, 02 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000Helle Thorning-Schmidt Keynotes The 2012 European Summit for Government Transformation https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/390.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/390.htmlConvening under the theme How Public Service Innovation Will Drive Sustainable Growth, The 2012 European Summit for Government Transformation gathered an eclectic and high-powered group of experts, policy leaders and practitioners to explore key topics of economic growth and state transformation. Among the highlights were The 2012 Jean Monnet Lecture delivered by Helle Thorning-Schmidt, prime minister of Denmark and head of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, who gave a powerful speech on the eve of the European Council, and a keynote from Robert-Jan Smits, director-general of research and innovation at the European Commission. Other key interventions came from Gian Luigi Albano, head of research and development at Consip Spa, Ministry of Economy and Finance in Italy; Jean-Benoît Albertini, director of modernisation and territorial action at the Ministry of Interior in France; Román Arjona, secretary-general for research, development and innovation at the Ministry of Economy in Spain; Michele Chang, professor of European political and administrative studies at the College of Europe; Paul Demaret, rector of the College of Europe; Meglena Kuneva, chair, Government Executive Innovation Circle, president of the European Centre for Government Transformation jury and former European commissioner for consumers; Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council; Bernard le Masson, global managing director health and public service management consulting at Accenture; Wolfgang Müller, head of the European representation of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit; Sander van’t Noordende, group chief executive for management consulting at Accenture; Ben Page, chief executive of Ipsos Mori in the United Kingdom; Alberto Rodriguez Balo, director of care development at SESCAM in Spain; Arnaud Verstraete, adviser to the secretary of state of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium; and Robert Watt, secretary-general of the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform in Ireland. Other highlights included innovative e-voting on citizen’s demands to the public service, and the presentation of four case studies on state transformation prepared by College of Europe students. The Summit was hosted by The European Centre for Government Transformation, a high-level network and inter-disciplinary research centre formed in 2009 by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture.

Watch Christiana Figueres' Message to Eco-InnovatorsWatch The 2011 Robert Schuman Lecture by Christiana Figueres in fullWatch Harry van Dorenmalen's Speech at The Eco-Innovation SummitWatch Harry Verhaar's Speech at The Eco-Innovation SummitView Photos from The Eco-Innovation Summit on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsWed, 09 Nov 2011 15:01:25 +0000Economics of the Digital Revolutionhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/407.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/407.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened a High-Level Working Lunch on the Economics of the Digital Revolution. Taylor Reynolds, senior economist for the information economy in the directorate for science, technology and industry at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), presented ground-breaking findings from the forthcoming OECD Internet Economy Outlook 2012. Anne Bucher, director for structural reforms and competitiveness at the European Commission’s directorate-general for economic and financial affairs, served as discussant. Jonas Bering Liisberg, deputy permanent representative of Denmark to the EU; Maria da Graça Carvalho, member of the European Parliament; James Elles, member of the European Parliament and co-founder of the European Internet Foundation; Tom Hanney, deputy permanent representative of Ireland to the EU; Edit Herczog, member of the European Parliament; Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament; and other VIP guests joined the interactive discussion and followed with timely interventions. The event formed part of the Single Market Entrepreneurs Centre, a centre of excellence housed inside of the Lisbon Council that sheds light on the role SMEs play in the European single market – and the way the single market can help SMEs deliver more growth and jobs to Europe’s economy.

]]>News & EventsTue, 25 Sep 2012 14:43:41 +0000Venture Capital in Europe: High-Level Working Lunchhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/512.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/512.htmlUnder the timely theme How Smart Policy Choices Can Attract International Venture Capital, the Lisbon Council convened a High-Level Working Lunch on Investing in Europe. Brad Burnham, managing partner at Union Square Ventures, kicked-off the debate with a fascinating presentation on the changing norms – and coming challenges – of venture capital on both sides of the Atlantic (Mr. Burnham was an initial seed investor in such run-away Internet-based businesses as twitter and Kickstarter). Philippe de Backer, member of the European Parliament (ALDE-Belgium); Alexander von Gabain, chairman of the governing board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT); Oliver Gajda, co-founder and co-chair of the European Crowdfunding Network; Luis Galveias, director of secretariat at the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and other Early Stage Market Players (EBAN); Simon Hampton, director of European public policy at Google; John A. Holloway, director for transaction and relationship management at the European Investment Fund (EIF); Thibaut Kleiner, member of cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes; José Manuel Leceta, director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT); Philippe Legrain, principal adviser and head of analysis team at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) of the European Commission; Frédéric Michel, Europe director of Telefónica; Emil Paulis, director for financial markets at the European Commission’s directorate-general for internal market and services; Baudouin Regout, adviser for economic, financial and banking questions at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) of the European Commission; and Kristin Schreiber, deputy head of cabinet of European Commissioner Michel Barnier, and others also intervened in a rich and fascinating debate.

]]>News & EventsFri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000New Drivers of Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/302.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/302.htmlThe 2011 Innovation Summit convened under the timely theme of New Drivers of Innovation: The Changing Nature of Business Models, Workplaces and Organisations. Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission, delivered a fascinating keynote address, introducing a major new proposal on a Common Sales Law aimed at unleashing the potential of the single market and spurring innovation. Ann Mettler, executive director, and Anthony D. Williams, weighed in with a new policy brief: The Rise of the Micro-Multinational: How Freelancers and Technology-Savvy Start-Ups are Driving Growth, Jobs and Innovation. In addition, Judith Merkies, MEP and rapporteur on the Innovation Union flagship initiative at the European Parliament; Matthew C. Robinson, global trends director at Accenture; Tim Sefton, business development director at Telefónica; and Małgorzata Steiner, lead policy specialist at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, joined high-level panels on innovation priorities in the coming months. Andrew Wyckoff, director of the directorate for science, technology and industry at the OECD, presented the latest OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard and discussed emerging global trends in knowledge and innovation.

]]>News & EventsThu, 06 Oct 2011 13:02:41 +0000Digital Agenda: New Sources of Growth and Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/300.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/300.htmlThe 2011 Digital Agenda Summit convened under the timely theme of New Sources of Growth and Innovation. Delivering The 2011 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture, the Lisbon Council’s annual flagship lecture on innovation, Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner for the Digital Agenda, vowed to encourage the development and deepening of Europe’s digital economy in the coming decade. Prof. Nigel Shadbolt, chair of midata, described this new UK policy initiative which allows consumers to access, control and use data currently held about them; Alexander Alvaro, vice-chair of the committee on budgets and member of the committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs at the European Parliament, and Peter Hustinx, European data protection supervisor, discussed the dilemma regulators face as they grapple with the challenges of an entirely new industry; Matthew Key, chairman and CEO of Telefónica Digital, and Hervé le Jouan, founder and CEO of Privowny, France, explored the potential of the Digital Agenda from a company perspective. And Taylor Reynolds, senior economist for information economy at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), discussed the economics of personal data.Watch What the World Will Look Like in 2020 Video on the Lisbon Council's YouTube ChannelView Photos of The 2011 Digital Agenda Summit on the Lisbon Council's flickr PhotostreamWatch Vice-President Kroes' LectureDownload Vice-President Kroes’ SpeechDownload Taylor Reynolds’ PresentationDownload Nigel Shadbolt's Presentation]]>News & EventsTue, 04 Oct 2011 15:37:45 +0000Jean-Claude Juncker Keynotes Government of the Future Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/278.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/278.htmlConvening under the timely theme Modernising the State for the Post-Crisis World, The 2011 Government of the Future Summit gathered European decision makers and senior government officials and explored key topics, such as the role of innovation in public services and the importance of state institutions in driving forward growth in the economy at large. Among the highlights were The 2011 Jean Monnet Lecture delivered by Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the Eurogroup and prime minister of Luxembourg; the launch of a new publication Driving Public Entrepreneurship: Government as a Catalyst for Innovation and Growth in Europe, produced jointly by the Government of the Future Centre and Oxford Economics; the presentation of an animated video clip about the Government of the Future Centre; interventions from Meglena Kuneva, chair, Government Executive Innovation Circle and former European Commissioner; Pierre Nanterme, CEO, Accenture; Paul Demaret, rector, College of Europe; Rolf Alter, director, directorate for public governance and territorial development, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); John Walker, chairman, Oxford Economics and co-author of Driving Public Entrepreneurship: Government as a Catalyst for Innovation and Growth in Europe; Thomas Børner, chairman, programme for welfare technology foundation, Ministry of Finance, Denmark; Tom Auwers, director-general, Federal Public Service Social Security, Belgium; Ruggero Golino, head of division, temporary welfare benefits, National Institute for Social Security, Italy; Roser Artal, director, organisation and information technology, Catalan Health Department, Spain; Timo Laitinen, director-general, State Treasury, Finland and François-Daniel Migeon, director-general, state modernisation, Ministry of the Budget, Public Accounts, Civil Service and State Reform, France.

Watch Errol Morris interview with Paul Hofheinz]]>News & EventsWed, 21 Sep 2011 10:49:16 +0000Digital Opportunity for Europe: IP and Growthhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/286.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/286.htmlThe Lisbon Council convened a policy briefing on How the Intellectual Property Framework Supports Innovation and Growth. The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Ian Hargreaves, who presented the main findings of Digital Opportunity: A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth. The report – commissioned by UK Prime Minister David Cameron – suggests that a more contemporary intellectual property regime could serve as an important tool for stimulating innovation and growth. Prof. Hargreaves’ views were complemented by interventions from, inter alia, Margot Fröhlinger, director for intellectual property at European Commission’s DG internal market and services; Malcolm Harbour, chair of the committee on internal market and consumer protection at the European Parliament; Ed Quilty, director for copyright and IP enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom and Simon Hampton, director for European public policy at Google.

Download Digital Opportunity: A Review of Intellectual Property and GrowthView Photos of the Digital Opportunity Initiative on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsWed, 13 Jul 2011 14:33:46 +0000Intellectual Property and Innovation Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/403.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/403.htmlThe 2012 Intellectual Property and Innovation Summit convened under the timely theme of Intellectual Property and Innovation: A Framework for 21st Century Growth and Jobs. Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission in charge of the digital agenda, kicked-off the Summit with a passionate keynote on Innovation in Creative Industries. Ian Hargreaves, professor of digital economy at Cardiff University and author of the high-level Digital Opportunity report prepared for UK Prime Minister David Cameron, formally presented Intellectual Property and Innovation: A Framework for 21st Century Growth and Jobs, a new Lisbon Council publication, co-edited by Prof. Hargreaves. Lilian Edwards, professor of Internet law, Strathclyde University in Glasgow; Reto Hilty, professor of intellectual property law, University of Zurich and director, Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law; Bernt Hugenholtz, professor of intellectual property, Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam; Paul Klimpel, former managing director, Deutsche Kinemathek; Till Kreutzer, associate research fellow, Hans Bredow Institute and founding member and editor, iRights.info; Cédric Manara, associate professor of law, EDHEC Business School; Nico Perez, co-founder, Mixcloud.com; and Michel Vivant, full professor and academic director, intellectual property programme of the master’s in Droit economique, Sciences Po, joined the discussion and provided strategic recommendations on how to enhance the intellectual property regime for the digital age.

Watch Vice-President Neelie Kroes's Keynote on Lisbon Council TVWatch Interview with Prof. Ian HargreavesDownload Vice-President Neelie Kroes' KeynoteDownload Lilian Edwards' PresentationDownload Bernt Hugenholtz' PresentationDownload Intellectual Property and Innovation]]>News & EventsMon, 10 Sep 2012 15:55:22 +0000The 2011 Skills and Human Capital Summit: Getting Europe Back to Workhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/295.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/295.htmlThe 2011 Skills and Human Capital Summit convened under the timely theme of Getting Europe Back to Work: How Skills and Human Capital Can Accelerate Growth and Innovation. Andreas Schleicher, special adviser on education policy to the secretary-general of the OECD and head of the indicators and analysis division at the directorate for education, delivered a fascinating and thought-provoking keynote address on the development of PIAAC, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Nina Arnhold, senior education specialist at World Bank, Krzysztof Gulda, director of the strategy department at the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and Adam Tyson, head of unit for higher education and Erasmus programme at the European Commission’s directorate-general for education and culture, joined an interactive high-level policy roundtable on how skills and human capital can kick-start much-needed growth, create jobs, spur innovation and provide better life chances for Europeans.

]]>News & EventsThu, 15 Sep 2011 13:48:46 +0000Barroso Keynotes Europe 2020 Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/358.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/358.htmlIn the week leading up to the Spring European Council, The Europe 2020 Summit convened under the timely theme of Unleashing Growth and Creating Jobs. Organised in collaboration with the Danish EU Presidency, the Summit animated an informed and solution-oriented debate about how to kick-start growth and employment in Europe. José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, gave a powerful keynote address calling for greater focus on the European growth and jobs agenda. Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) presented a new policy brief entitled Lessons in Crisis Management: Making the European Stability Mechanism Work, which was launched at the Summit. His presentation was followed by remarks from Lucio Vinhas de Souza, managing director and sovereign chief economist, Moody’s Investors Service. In addition, Nicolai Wammen, minister for European affairs of Denmark, keynoted the High-Level Policy Panel entitled In Pursuit of a European Growth Agenda: Action Items for 2012 with Jean-Luc Schneider, deputy director, policy studies branch, economics department, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Beñat Bilbao-Osorio, associate director and economist, Centre for Global Competitiveness and Performance, World Economic Forum; and Yannis Stournaras, general director, Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), Greece. In a closing session, David Lidington, minister for European affairs of the United Kingdom, and Enzo Moavero Milanesi, minister for European affairs of Italy, made a joint appearance, laying out their respective visions – and joint initiative – to kick-start growth and jobs.

]]>News & EventsMon, 27 Feb 2012 16:03:45 +0000President Herman Van Rompuy Keynotes The 2011 Euro Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/319.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/319.htmlAs the eurozone crisis intensifies and the European Council prepares to take up the Euro Plus Pact at its all-important December summit, The 2011 Euro Summit convened under the theme of Towards Fiscal Sustainability and Increased Competitiveness. Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, delivered a fascinating and powerful keynote, highlighting the need for restoring European competitiveness to overcome the crisis. Dr. Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg Bank, presented The 2011 Euro Plus Monitor, an innovative indicator and ranking launched by the Lisbon Council and Berenberg Bank at the summit. In addition, Martin Larch, head of unit for co-ordination of country-specific policy surveillance at DG economic and financial affairs of the European Commission; Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European Department at the IMF; and Peter Spiegel, Brussels bureau chief of Financial Times, joined a high-level panel discussion on Europe Beyond the Crisis.

There was a vibrancy, a contest for new ideas, a competition for talent, a feeling of optimism and a 'can-do' attitude that I have not experienced for a long, long time. It was refreshing, in fact, to be surrounded by people who inspire, who have ambitious plans and who believe they can make a difference, says Ann Mettler.

]]>News & EventsWed, 31 Aug 2011 14:11:51 +0000Europe's Single Market and Public Procurementhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/268.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/268.htmlConvening under the timely theme Unleashing Europe’s Single Market: How Public Procurement Can Deepen Integration, Drive Innovation and Bolster Efficiency, this high-level roundtable brought together senior leaders from across Europe with responsibility for public procurement. Jonathan Faull, director-general of DG Internal Market and Services at the European Commission, kicked off the discussion with an overview of the Single Market Act. His remarks were complemented by Malcolm Harbour, chair of the committee on the internal market and consumer protection at the European Parliament. In an interactive working group, participants compared and shared best practices on public procurement in, inter alia, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. Special presentations were delivered by Gian Luigi Albano, head for research and development at the Italian Public Procurement Agency (CONSIP); Jacques Barrailler, head of the French State Procurement Agency; Sally Collier, executive director of the efficiency reform group at the UK Cabinet Office and Pedro Llorente Cachorro, director-general for economic and sales management of health and pharmaceutical products at the department of health from City of Madrid.

The Lisbon Council convened its June 2011 Zukunftssalon: Forum for the Future under the timely theme of Innovation Union: Smart Solutions to Europe’s Grand Challenges. The dinner debate concentrated on how to turn the current crisis into an opportunity for fostering innovation throughout society, focusing in particular on how to provide practical and smart solutions to Europeʼs grand challenges, such as ageing, climate change and mobility. Special guests included Judith Merkies, member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on Innovation Union; Harry van Dorenmalen, chairman of IBM Europe; Henk de Jong, secretary-general of the City of Amsterdam; Matthias Ruete, director-general of DG mobility and transport at the European Commission; Marion Dewar, member of the cabinet of Research and Innovation Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn; and Kurt Vandenberghe, head of the cabinet of Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

]]>News & EventsWed, 22 Jun 2011 08:05:20 +0000Commissioner Hedegaard Keynotes 2011 Eco-Innovation Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/233.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/233.htmlThe 2011 Eco-Innovation Summit convened under the timely theme of Cancún and Beyond: Europe’s Next Steps on the Road to a Low-Carbon Economy and Sustainable Future. At the occasion of her first major speech after the COP16, Connie Hedegaard, European commissioner for climate action, delivered The 2011 Jean Jacques Rousseau Lecture and made a compelling call to redouble Europe’s efforts to lead the world towards a low-carbon future. The commissioner’s forceful and vibrant remarks were followed by a fascinating panel discussion led by Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, and Harry Verhaar, senior director for energy and climate change at Philips.

]]>News & EventsThu, 13 Jan 2011 14:08:58 +0000Lessons of Past Sovereign Debt Restructuringshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/262.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/262.htmlThe Lisbon Council launches Thinking the Unthinkable: Lessons of Past Sovereign Debt Restructurings, a new e-brief by Alessandro Leipold, chief economist of the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Drawing on his decades of experience at the centre of financial crisis prevention and management, Mr. Leipold argues that European debt resolution requires a much more forward-leaning, information-driven approach, involving supplying markets with better, more timely information (including tougher banking stress tests), abandoning untenable timelines (such as the “no-restructurings-before-2013” mantra), and staying ahead of the game via recourse to tools such as pre-emptive bond exchange offers, which were successfully deployed by Pakistan, Ukraine, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic in the last bout of severe debt crises of the early 2000s. He draws five key lessons from past sovereign debt restructurings.

]]>News & EventsWed, 20 Apr 2011 11:39:28 +0000Employment and Skillshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/260.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/260.htmlThe Government of the Future Centre gathered in Brussels a group of distinguished government executives from various member states as well as European officials to discuss the key role of employment agencies and educational institutions in delivering greater employment and world-class skills development. Among the prominent speakers were Xavier Prats Monné, deputy director-general for education at the European Commission’s directorate-general for education and culture; Annie Gauvin, director for studies, evaluations and international affairs at Pôle emploi in France; Lluís Anaya Torres, IT director of the department for employment at the Government of Catalonia, Spain; Markus Schmitz, managing director of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit in Germany; Ihsan Ajwad, senior economist, human development economics at the World Bank; Peter Went, CEO of WCC Smart Search & Match and Jan-Erik Hunn, human service lead for Europe, Africa and Latin America at Accenture.

Download the Government of the Future Centre BrochureView Photos of Government Executive Innovation Circle High-Level Roundtables on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsWed, 30 Mar 2011 07:47:52 +0000Sustainable Public Finances Roundtablehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/257.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/257.htmlOrganised under the timely theme Sustainable Public Finances: Restoring Balance, Improving Performance, this high-level roundtable was convened by the Government of the Future Centre, a centre of excellence founded by the Lisbon Council, the College of Europe and Accenture. It brought together European decision makers and senior government officials responsible for making their nation’s public finances more sustainable. Among the speakers were Eric Woerth, member of the French National Assembly and former minister for the budget; Paul van den Noord, counsellor to the chief economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Antoine Brugidou, global directorfor management consulting, health and public service in Accenture; Michael Mossakowski, counsellor for the Belgian secretary of state for modernisation of the Federal Public Service; Gerry Harrahill, collector general at the Irish Office of Revenue Commissioners; Maria Teresa Monteduro, economist at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finances and Lucio Pench, director for fiscal policy in the directorate-general for economic and financial affairs at the European Commission.

]]>News & EventsWed, 23 Mar 2011 11:02:14 +0000High-Level Roundtable: New Skills and New Jobshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/250.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/250.htmlThe High-Level Policy Roundtable on Human Capital in European Regions and Cities, co-hosted by the Lisbon Council and the EU2020 Regions Network, convened under timely theme of Human Capital in Regions and Cities: Drivers of Sustainable Growth and Jobs. László Andor, European commissioner for employment, social affairs and inclusion, delivered a forceful keynote address and underlined that skills and human capital are a key driver of sustainable growth and jobs. Dirk Ahner, director-general at DG Regional Policy and Xavier Prats-Monné, deputy-director general at DG Education and Culture, were special guests at an interactive policy roundtable that gathered senior human capital and skills experts from cities and regions. The discussions and debate were animated and informed by the ground-breaking study Human Capital Leading Indicators:How Europe's Regions and Cities Can Drive Growth and Foster Social Inclusion, which was launched in the margins of the event.

Download OECD Pisa PresentationDownload OECD Press Release on PISA 2009Download Executive Summary of PISA 2009Visit PISA web page for more informationView Photos of the Launch of PISA 2009 Results on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsTue, 07 Dec 2010 13:40:30 +0000Innovation Union: European Priorities for the Post-Crisis Worldhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/228.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/228.htmlThe Lisbon Council concluded the year with a timely event on Innovation Union: European Priorities for the Post-Crisis World. In an insightful opening speech, Vincent van Quickenborne, minister for economy and administrative simplification of Belgium (which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency), talked about the innovation imperative facing Europe. Anthony D. Williams, senior fellow for innovation at the Lisbon Council, gave a fascinating presentation of Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World, his best-selling book, and Mark Spelman, managing director for global strategy at Accenture, energized the debate with a practitioner’s perspective. Later, Michel Praet, member of President Van Rompuy’s cabinet in charge of research and innovation; Martin Schuurmans, chairman of the board at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Rudolf Strohmeier, deputy director-general of DG research at the European Commission, shed light on what the Innovation Union is – and has the potential to be.

]]>News & EventsThu, 09 Dec 2010 17:08:31 +0000Booklaunch: Public Sector Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/242.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/242.htmlIn a forceful intervention, Christian Bason, director, author and Ph.D fellow at MindLab, the Danish innovation agency, introduced his new book Leading Public Sector Innovation: Co-Creating for a Better Society. He explained how the current crisis can act as an historic catalyst for innovation and better, more responsive government. Mr. Bason’s enlightening presentation was followed by inspiring comments from Peter Dröll, head of unit for policy development for industrial innovation in the directorate-general for enterprise and industry at the European Commission.

Watch Video Clip from Helsinki Design LabVisit MindLab WebsiteView Photos of Leading Public Sector Innovation Book Launch on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsMon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000Skills and Human Capital High-Level Working Grouphttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/225.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/225.htmlThe High-Level Working Group on Skills and Human Capital convened under the timely theme Creating and Maintaining Human Capital in an Age of Transformation. During highly interactive breakout sessions key practitioners discussed the most recent cutting-edge research and new thinking on skills and human capital. The event was kicked-off by Peer Ederer, director of the Human Capital Centre at the Lisbon Council, who gave an advance look at early conclusions from the Human Capital Index of European Regions project due to be published in 2011. Haizheng Li, special-term director of the China Center for Human Capital and Labour Market Research at Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing and professor of economics at Georgia Institute of Technology, presented his ongoing work on human capital formation in China. Xavier Prats Monné, director for employment and Europe 2020 strategy in DG employment, social affairs and equal opportunities at the European Commission, discussed the European Commission’s ongoing work on New Skills and New Jobs, a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 programme, and Lars Sondergaard, senior economist in the education unit of the World Bank, shared the early findings of the World Bank’s forthcoming Skills Flagship Report due to be published in 2011.

]]>News & EventsThu, 25 Nov 2010 10:00:57 +0000The 2010 Euro Summit: Economic Governance for Sustainable Growthhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/215.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/215.htmlTwo days before the European Council decided on a historic overhaul of euro-area economic governance, Olli Rehn, European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs delivered The 2010 Ludwig Erhard Lecture, the Lisbon Council’s flagship event on economic governance and structural reforms. In his forceful address, Commissioner Rehn shared his assessment on how to enforce fiscal discipline and revive the European economy. He also used the occasion to stress how structural reforms are crucial to pave the way of fiscal sustainability. The Commissioner’s remarks were followed by interventions from Prof. Dr. Michael Heise, chief economist of Allianz SE, and Alessandro Leipold, economic adviser to the Lisbon Council and former director of the European department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The 2010 Euro Monitor, an innovative indicator co-published by Allianz SE and the Lisbon Council, was launched in the margins of the event.

]]>News & EventsTue, 26 Oct 2010 12:53:21 +0000Good Governance for the Euro Areahttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/199.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/199.htmlOn the eve of the European Council informal meeting, Alessandro Leipold, economic adviser to the Lisbon Council and former acting director of the IMF’s European Department, surveys the debate on economic governance in the European Union and offers a “nine-step programme” for strengthening European economic coordination. “No less than the future of the euro itself hangs in the balance,” Mr. Leipold writes, adding “the process whereby these various proposals will be sifted through and finalised for consideration by the European Union heads of State and Government is unpromising.”]]>News & EventsMon, 13 Sep 2010 17:10:54 +0000Unleashing the Digital Single Market by an Ambitious EU Justice Policyhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/217.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/217.htmlVivane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship vowed to use EU justice policy to strengthen the single digital market and announced that she will make a proposal to revise the current Data Protection Directive in October. Her address was preceded by a panel discussion, on Creating Trust and Confidence on the Digital Single Market through Citizen Empowerment, Transparency and Monitoring Mechanism. Lena Ek, member of the committee on industry, research and energy and member of the bureau at the European Parliament; Peter Hustinx, European data protection supervisor; Matthew Key, chairman and CEO of Telefónica Europe and Mario Monti, president of the Bocconi University and author of the report on the single market commissioned by President Barroso, presented a comprehensive overview of the state of play on the Digital Single Market.

Watch a Summary of Discussion and Debate at Digital Confidence InitiativeWatch Vice-President Reding's remarks on the Digital Single Market in fullView Photos of the Digital Confidence Initiative on the Lisbon Council flickr Photostream]]>News & EventsThu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000The 2010 Government of the Future Summit Conveneshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/192.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/192.htmlConvening just two days before the June European Council, the Government of the Future Summit convened under the timely theme of ‘Exiting the Crisis: Citizens, Society and State Transformation in the 21st Century.’ Organised by the Lisbon Council, in collaboration with the College of Europe and Accenture, the summit brought together senior government and civil service leaders to explore key themes such as innovation in the public sector and providing more and better services despite strained government finances. The summit was kicked off by Pier Carlo Padoan, deputy secretary-general and chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) who delivered The 2010 Jean Monnet Lecture on ‘The Challenge of State Transformation in the Post-Crisis Era.’ The summit also launched a new publication, Building a Better Future in an Age of Transformation which summarises four case studies on state transformation prepared by College of Europe Students.

]]>News & EventsTue, 15 Jun 2010 15:17:33 +0000Andreas Schleicher on High Cost of Low Educational Performancehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/173.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/173.htmlThe Lisbon Council hosted the European launch of a watershed OECD publication on the High Cost of Low Educational Performance. Presented by Andreas Schleicher, head of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) at the OECD, the study demonstrates the enormous economic return on investment in education. If, for instance, all OECD countries could raise their educational performance to Finland’s level, the result could be an aggregate GDP increase of $260 trillion – an important conclusion as the EU is pondering next steps in its EU 2020 strategy.

]]>News & EventsWed, 28 Apr 2010 07:29:40 +0000The 2010 Eco-Innovation Summit https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/161.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/161.htmlThe 2010 Eco-Innovation Summit convened under the timely theme of Europe 2020: Resource Efficiency as a Driver of Sustainable Growth and Jobs. Taking place just two days before the spring European Council which will lay the foundation for EU strategy in the coming decade, Janez Potočnik, European commissioner for the environment, delivered The 2010 Jean Jacques Rousseau Lecture and used the occasion to make a compelling call to make resource efficiency one of its cornerstones. His speech on Resource Efficiency as a Driver of Sustainable Growth and Jobs made the case for a new “environmental contract” and argued for the development of new indicators to measure progress and performance on resource efficiency. The commissioner’s remarks were complemented by an interactive workshop led by Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, on After Copenhagen: How to Advance the Eco-Innovation Agenda in the Absence of a Deal.

]]>News & EventsTue, 23 Mar 2010 13:09:55 +0000The 2010 Innovation Summithttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/306.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/306.htmlDelivering The 2010 Robert Schuman Lecture, Máire
Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research and innovation,
called on Europe to step up its innovation performance, outlining how
transformative changes should be used to address "grand challenges."
Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn’s address was part of The 2010 Innovation Summit, which also saw interventions from Prof. Dr. Martin Schuurmans,
chairman of the board of the European Institute of Innovation and
Technology (EIT), Anthony D. Williams, senior fellow for innovation at
the Lisbon Council and co-author of bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything,
Andrew Wyckoff, director, science, technology and industry directorate
at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
and Rian Liebenberg, engineering director of Google.

]]>News & EventsThu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000EU 2020: Why Skills are Key for Europe's Futurehttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/147.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/147.htmlAs part of the Lisbon Council's contribution to the EU 2020 strategy, Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council, argues that this crucial agenda should prioritise skills acquisition and the necessary accompanying investment in human capital. He maps out a one-of-a-kind intellectual framework to evaluate skills policy and explains what levers can be utilised to finally move from rhetoric to action.]]>News & EventsSun, 06 Dec 2009 08:46:28 +0000Blueprint for Consumer Policy https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/134.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/134.htmlIn a Lisbon Council e-brief, Meglena Kuneva, European commissioner for consumer affairs, enters the debate on the future of the internal market with a visionary and thought-provoking paper entitled A Blueprint for Consumer Policy in Europe: Making Markets Work with and for People. This Blueprint, written in Commissioner Kuneva’s personal capacity, expands and adds detail to the vision that European Commission President Barroso put forward in his Political Guidelines for the Next Commission, where he sets out as a priority the need to work for a single market fit for the 21st century that works for people.

A compelling call to position European policy making firmly in competitive, open and transparent markets, Commissioner Kuneva explains how consumer policy must be more firmly embedded in the service sector, as well as the digital economy and green markets. She also lays out specific recommendations on the governance of the internal market, from public enforcement to regulatory actions.

The Blueprint for Consumer Policy in Europe was officially launched at an event hosted by the Lisbon Council in Brussels on Thursday, 05 November, featuring Meglena Kuneva; Mario Monti, president of Bocconi University and former European commissioner for competition and internal market; and Eija-Riita Korhola, MEP and vice-chair, committee on internal market and consumer protection, European Parliament. A summary of the event was published by EurActiv, the leading EU news portal, and can be read here.]]>News & EventsWed, 04 Nov 2009 21:07:15 +0000Public Health 2015: New Challenges, New Solutionshttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/101.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/101.htmlIn this interactive workshop, top-level practitioners from EU member states as well as the European Commission discussed key challenges to public health: from coping with the demands of an ageing population and squeezed budgets in the aftermath of the global recession to the onset of new technologies which empower patients and allow for digital medical records. The debate was kicked off by Robert Madelin, director-general of the European Commission’s DG Health and Consumer Affairs, who delivered a fascinating overview of key issues on the EU agenda. Other discussants included Juan José Güemes, chief executive of Madrid health service, Javier Carnicero Giménez de Azcárate, director of the Observatorio del Sistema Nacional de Salud in Spain, Laurent Debenedetti, director of the GIP-DMP in France, as well as Mourad Ameziane, managing director of public health Europe, at Accenture.]]>News & EventsWed, 26 Aug 2009 09:05:16 +0000Growth and Jobs Summit 2009https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/37.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/37.htmlMeeting in the week leading up to the spring European Council, the Lisbon Council welcomed guests from around Europe for its annual Growth and Jobs Summit. Approaching the Lisbon Agenda’s 2010 deadline, this year’s gathering convened under the timely theme of Devising a Successful Strategy for the Next Decade. Among the speakers was José Manuel Barroso, who addressed the launch of The 2009 European Growth and Jobs Monitor. ]]>News & EventsWed, 12 Aug 2009 08:26:03 +0000Ann Mettler on Innovationhttps://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/36.html
https://lisboncouncil.net/news-a-events/36.htmlIn an article in Parliament Magazine, Ann Mettler argues for a broader, more inclusive understanding of innovation for the new Lisbon Agenda strategy post 2010. In particular, she explains that new technologies and Web 2.0 have led to a democratisation of innovation, with users and collaborative networks playing an increasingly important role in the generation of new ideas. In addition, she calls for the creation of the post of Innovation Commissioner in the next European Commission.]]>News & EventsWed, 12 Aug 2009 08:25:02 +0000